How to Become a Trainer
by StoryGirl1997
Summary: In a world where Vikings and Pokemon co-exist, Hiccup is finally given a partner of his very own. Join him and his new friend as they work together to train a Night Fury and hopefully bring peace between Vikings, dragons, and Dragon-Type Pokemon. Follows the events of the movie, shorts, and series with the occasional twist. Has some Hicstrid in it. Also has a bit of humor.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Snivels

**I've decided to try and make a How to Train Your Dragon and Pokémon crossover for the time being. This follows the events of the movie, shorts, and series with an occasional twist or two. It's a world in which Vikings co-exist with Pokémon, and dragons are aided by Dragon-Types. Includes Pokémon from X and Y, as well as the Solar Light and Lunar Dark hacks. If you haven't heard of SL and LD, (Solar Light and Lunar Dark) then please look it up and check the Pokedex for it. You'll understand more afterward. And for those of you who are unfamiliar with a certain Pokémon, please look it up on the Internet or something.**

* * *

Hiccup had finally received a Pokémon of his very own. It was loyal to him, despite that they had only been together for a day. It followed him wherever he went, and it obeyed his every command, big or small. But there were a few drawbacks. It was a Snivy, a Grass-Type, and weak to fire and aerial attacks. And even worse, all the other teens' Pokémon had already evolved to their second stage, making his Snivy the youngest. But there was one thing that Hiccup's Pokémon could do that many other Pokémon couldn't. It could talk.

It was a male Snivy, that went by the name of Snivels. He had spent a lot of time around humans, and had eventually learned how to communicate with them. He knew more about humans than any other Pokémon in the village. And that was because he had been owned by more trainers than any of the others. The truth was, Snivels had been abandoned by all of his previous trainers, because they thought that he was too weak to use in battle. It was because of this that Snivels had been chosen as Hiccup's partner. The Vikings all thought that it would be suitable for both of them to be with someone at the "same level of experience."

All the same, Hiccup was happy to finally have a real friend.

That night, when Snivels asked Hiccup about where they were, and why they all lived there, Hiccup brought him downstairs and set him down on the table. He then began to tell Snivels all about their home.

"This is Berk," Hiccup said to him, "It's twelve days North of hopeless, and a few degrees South of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the Meridian of Misery." Snivels shivered at the thought of freezing. Grass-Types did not like the cold, since they were weak to Ice-Types. "It's my village," Hiccup continued, "In a word – sturdy. It's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. We've got fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests."

"What pests?" Snivels asked, and jumped up onto Hiccup's shoulder. "You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes," Hiccup said, walking to the door. "We have..."

He opened the door, and the outline of a huge beast appeared, hovering outside. Noticing them, it spat a wave of fire in their direction. Hiccup barely managed to close the door before he and Snivels were incinerated. Both of them shared a look of surprise and fear. Hiccup finished his statement in a whisper. "...Dragons."

The two of them made their way outside, looking around and watching the chaos that was taking place. A Monstrous Nightmare scorched the ground, followed by a Salamence, who did the same by using Flamethrower. A Deadly Nadder swooped down and snatched a sheep in its talons, a Viking jumped up and held onto the sheep as the dragon took off. A Flygon came out of nowhere and began using Dragon Claw to try and get the Viking to let go. A Gronkle then flew by, holding a Viking in its jaws. The Viking hit the Gronkle over and over with a hammer, as a Sliggoo on the Gronkle's back tried to get the Viking to stop.

"Most people would leave," Hiccup explained, "Not us. We're Vikings. We have stubbornness issues." Snivels nodded to show that he understood. Hiccup nodded back and introduced himself. "My name is Hiccup." Snivels looked surprised. Even though they had been given a day to learn about each other, they hadn't really been given a chance to introduce themselves.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Great name, I know. But it's not the worst. Parents believe a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls – like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that."

Hiccup tripped and fell on his back. A Viking warrior suddenly stooped down and howled in his face, then gave them a cheery, "Morning!" Hiccup rolled his eyes again as he got up. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hiccup," Snivels said politely. He then introduced himself. "My name is Snivels."

As Hiccup ran, with Snivels perched on his shoulder, Vikings all over yelled to him, "What're you doing here?" and "Get back inside!" Sighing, Hiccup turned a corner, only to have a passing dragon nearly scorch him as it shot fire at the ground in front of him.

A hand flashed out and snagged the back of Hiccup's shirt. He and Snivels found themselves staring at the bearded face of the biggest Viking of them all, and his partner, Beartic. "Hiccup!" he shouted. "What is he doing out again?! What are you doing out here?! Get inside!"

He sent Hiccup on his way, and Hiccup continued to run, Snivels still on his shoulder. "Who was that?" Snivels asked. Hiccup replied, "That's Stoick the Vast, chief of the tribe. They say that when he was a baby, he popped a dragon's head right off of its shoulders."

Snivels looked at Hiccup skeptically. "You believe that?" he asked. "Yes, I do," Hiccup said with absolute certainty.

Avoiding another fire blast from a dragon overhead, Hiccup ducked into the building that he was hoping to find. It was a blacksmith's workshop, and was already occupied.

"Oh, nice of you to join the party!" said the large Viking who was busy at the anvil. One of his hands was missing, replaced by a large hammer. "I thought you'd been carried off!"

Putting Snivels down on a nearby table, Hiccup replied, "Who, me? No, I'm way to muscular for their taste. They wouldn't know what to do with all this." He flexed his pathetically skinny arms, trying to show at least a little muscle.

"Well, they need toothpicks, don't they?" the Viking asked jokingly as he replaced his hammer with a set of tongs.

Hiccup opened the window to the forge, to be met with a boatload of weapons in need of repair. "The meathead with attitude and interchangeable hands is Gobber," he breathlessly told Snivels, who was waiting patiently. "I've been his apprentice ever since I was little – well, littler." Snivels leaped over onto Hiccup's shoulder to watch him lift the weapons onto the hot coals. The young Snivy did his best to stay away from the coals.

Outside, there were shouts – battle cries as well as cries of panic. Snivels and Hiccup looked through the window and saw a dragon blast a house, setting it alight. "See?" Hiccup asked Snivels, pointing at the destruction. "Old village, lots and lots of new houses." Snivels nodded and suddenly swung his head around, apparently catching sight of something.

"Who are they?" he asked, pointing to the group of teenagers and Pokémon who had rushed onto the scene to put out the new fire. "Oh, them?" Hiccup asked, and when Snivels nodded, he continued, "The short muscular one is my cousin Snotlout, and that is his partner Magmar. The flabby one is Fishlegs, and that's his partner Lombre. Then there are the twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut and their partners, Nidorino and Nidorina..."

The group of eight was rushing to put out the fire with buckets of water. Ruffnut and Tuffnut started fighting over the same bucket, only to be knocked aside by the appearance of another. A feisty female Combusken pushed the twins and their partners aside, obviously making room for someone. "That's Blaze, the Combusken," Hiccup said. He then pointed to a new figure that had appeared. The new girl nodded at Blaze in thanks, and then doused out a small fire with her bucket of water, only for a dragon to reignite it, framing her magnificently in an explosion of red and orange flame.

"And that's her trainer," Hiccup paused and then called the girl by her name. "Astrid." He sighed as Astrid and the others rushed off to refill their buckets. Snivels caught a glance of Hiccup's expression, and smirked knowingly.

"Oh, their jobs are so much cooler," Hiccup commented, and leaned out the window for a better look at where they were going.

Suddenly, Gobber hoisted him away from the window and plunked him down inside the forge. "Oh, would you let me out, please?!" Hiccup exclaimed. "I need to make my mark!"

Gobber snorted. "You've made plenty of marks," he told Hiccup, jabbing him gently with his tongs. "All in the wrong places."

Before Gobber could continue the conversation, Hiccup jumped back in. "Please, two minutes," he pleaded. "I'll kill a dragon, and my life will get infinitely better. I might even get a date!"

It was Gobber's turn to roll his eyes as he made a list on his fingers: "You can't lift a hammer, you can't swing an axe, you can't even throw one of these!" He held up a bola, which was grabbed by a Viking outside the window. The Viking threw the bola at a passing dragon. The weapon snared the dragon's legs and caused it to plummet to the ground with a dull thud.

"Ah," Hiccup said, moving over to a wooden contraption on wheels – one of his many inventions. "That is why this'll throw it for me," he finished smugly, just before it unfolded and shot another bola at Gobber's partner, Probopass. Unfazed by the attack, Probopass folded up and went to sleep, clearly annoyed.

Gobber looked like he had enough. "Now this right here is what I'm talking about! If you want to get out there and fight dragons, you need to stop all… this." He gestured with his hand and tongs. "You just pointed to all of me!" Hiccup said, appalled. "Yes, that's it!" Gobber said in a satisfied way. "Stop being all of you!"

Hiccup made an attempt to look intimidating, something that didn't exactly come naturally. "You, sir, are playing a dangerous game," he warned ominously. "Keeping this much raw… Viking-ness… contained – there'll be consequences!"

Gobber didn't look convinced, naturally. "I'll take my chances," he said, bored. Then he handed Hiccup a dulled sword and ordered, "Sword. Sharpen. Now."

Hiccup groaned under the weight of the sword as Snivels rejoined him. "One day I'll get out there," Hiccup muttered to his partner. "Because killing a dragon is _everything_ around here." Snivels listened as his new trainer explained to him the different kinds of dragons. "A Deadly Nadder or Flygon head is sure to get me at least noticed," Hiccup said as a group of the bird-like dragons, and their aides surrounded a sheep barn, looking for a way in.

"Gronkles and Sliggoos are tough," Hiccup continued, "Taking down one of each of those would definitely get me a girlfriend." Hearing this, Snivels tried to hold back a laugh. As Snivels tried not to laugh, a group of the portly dragons, with the snail-like Dragon-Types on their backs, grabbed some fish in their jaws and flew off like overgrown bumblebees.

"A Hideous Zippleback and a Zweilous? Exotic. Two heads each, twice the status." A dual-headed dragon blew a building to smithereens – one head sprayed flammable gas all over the vicinity, and the other ignited it with a spark or two from the back of its throat. It flapped off, its destructive work done. Its aid, Zweilous, rode on its back, using Protect to block off the flying debris.

"And then, there's Salamence and the Monstrous Nightmare. Only the best Vikings go after those. The Monstrous Nightmare has a nasty habit of setting itself on fire. And Salamence is usually the one that aids it." As Stoick the Vast stood at his battle station atop a massive catapult, he suddenly felt heat and light erupt from beneath him. Looking down, he saw that the structure had begun to burn rapidly, courtesy of a Monstrous Nightmare. Its flaming body burst through the wood, ending up with its reptilian muzzle right next to him.

Taking his large hammer in hand, Stoick repeatedly beat the dragon on its horned face. It snapped its huge jaws at him, the long, thin fangs missing him by inches. Deciding that there was better prey than this, the Monstrous Nightmare flew off, the fires that wrapped its body extinguishing.

"But the ultimate prize is the dragon that no one's ever seen before. We call it the..." All of a sudden, there was a piercing screech that rang out above the noise of battle, getting steadily louder and louder. "NIGHT FURY!" someone called in a panic. "Get down!" yelled someone else. All of the Vikings ducked, and a huge burst of blue flame shot down from the sky and exploded, taking an entire catapult down. There was a whistling noise as the unknown dragon shot by overhead, too fast and too dark to be seen.

Hiccup continued in a whisper to Snivels, now thoroughly spooked. "This dragon doesn't have a partner, it never steals food, never reveals itself, and" - another catapult exploded – "never misses. No one has ever killed a Night Fury. That's why I'm going to be the first."

Gobber suddenly abandoned his tongs and replaced them with a sharp axe. "Man the fort, Hiccup," he ordered. "They need me out there." Just before he stepped outside, he told them, "Stay. Put. There." Hiccup just looked at him. "You know what I mean." Then with a battle cry, he limped into the fray on his leg and a half.

As soon as he left their line of sight, Hiccup grabbed his homemade weapon and wheeled it to the door. "Let's go kill a dragon," he said to Snivels, and rushed outside, towing his invention before him like an oddly shaped wheelbarrow.

Soon, the two of them had reached Berk's outskirts. It was completely quiet, and there were no dragons in sight. Hiccup rapidly set up his weapon, which he called "the Mangler". Snivels perched silently on Hiccup's shoulder, his eyes scanning the dark skies. "Give me something to shoot at, give me something to shoot at…" Hiccup muttered, pointing the Mangler's targeting scope at an old, abandoned catapult.

They waited. There was no movement in the skies – or was there? Hiccup suddenly saw part of the night sky move, blocking out the stars as it flew. Instinctively, he knew that this was the dragon that he had been waiting for. The Night Fury.

A screech rang out as it prepared to strike. Diving towards the catapult, the Night Fury's shriek reached its peak as it spat a bolt of blue fire straight at the structure. The flame hit its mark dead on, tearing through the wood and exploding violently. Desperately, Hiccup fired a bola at the dragon, the force of the shot throwing him and Snivels backward. He was already waiting for the realization that his shot had missed.

There was a shriek, and the sound of rope slamming against flesh, and the outline of something caught in the bola began to fall off into the far-off forest. "I hit it," Hiccup breathed. "Yes, I hit it!" Snivels jumped off of Hiccup's shoulder to catch a glimpse of the dragon as it fell. "Did anyone else see that?" Hiccup called out, only to see a huge dragon clamber up over a hill and land next to him. A Monstrous Nightmare. And right next to it was a Salamence. "Except for you guys," Hiccup said with a groan.

Snivels jumped back onto Hiccup's shoulder as he took off running, the Nightmare and Salamence right behind him. The two friends managed to hide behind a giant torch, and the Nightmare's next blast hit the torch instead of them.

Hiccup cautiously poked his head back around the torch, now going up in flames, trying to see if the dragon was still there. It wasn't – but what he didn't realize was that it was right behind him, ready to bite his head off.

But it never got the chance. A sudden movement caught Hiccup's eye, and he turned to witness a shocking sight. Stoick the Vast had appeared from nowhere and was now battling the dragon in one-on-one combat. His Beartic was behind him, fighting the Salamence. The Monstrous Nightmare shot a pathetic blast of its fire, which didn't even reach him. The next blast was nothing more than a few embers.

"You're all out," growled Stoick, before letting loose with a series of kicks and punches. The Nightmare, deciding not to risk a fight without any of its fire, left. Salamence noticed its partner flying off, and took off after it.

Then Stoick turned his attention towards the torch, which had been severely weakened by the Monstrous Nightmare's fire. It snapped, then fell to the ground. Hiccup knew that he had been clearly revealed standing behind it. "And there's one more thing that you need to know…" he muttered to Snivels.

The great bowl of fire that sat upon the torch dropped off and rolled away, doing major damage as it went. Vikings, Pokémon, and dragons alike scrambled to get away from the runaway torch. Both Hiccup and Snivels winced as the torch continued to cause damage throughout the village. Hiccup glanced at Stoick, catching sight of his firm gaze. Hiccup sighed and apologized.

"Sorry… Dad."

* * *

**So there you have it. Vikings and Pokémon co-exist, and so far Hiccup and Astrid's partners are the only Pokémon that have actual names. You'll be finding out more about Snivels and Blaze in the next chapter. In the meantime, leave a review and tell me what you think. Should I continue? Let me know ASAP!**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Meet Blaze/The Night Fury

**We'll be finding out more about Snivels and Blaze in this chapter, including their opinions on the war, and a few other things. Thanks to those who left a review, or just followed and/or favorited. Also, I moved this story onto the How to Train Your Dragon Archive because I want to get more reviews for it. Getting reviews to me means that there are people that actually like my stories. If I don't get many reviews, it makes me think that no one likes them.  
**

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The ball of fire that had once set atop the torch that was now knocked down continued to roll throughout the village. It rapidly approached a couple of Vikings that had trapped a group of Deadly Nadders and Flygon in a net. The minute they saw the fire coming their, way they ran off, leaving the Nadders and Flygon free to escape. And escape they did, using the net to carry off a small herd of sheep that had also been under the net. Satisfied with their catches, the dragons all flew off, to where no one knew.

The Vikings and their Pokémon all watched as the dragons left, all either disappointed or frustrated. The only one who didn't seem worried was Snivels, who was believe it or not, waving goodbye to the dragons.

Stoick was the first to take his gaze off of the dragons, and continued to glare at Hiccup. No wanting to get in trouble, Snivels quickly retreated, climbing down off of Hiccup's shoulder (the look that Beartic was giving him wasn't really installing a lot of confidence either). Standing alone in the middle of the plaza, Hiccup said quickly, "Okay, but I hit a Night Fury."

Stoick said nothing, grabbing Hiccup by the back of his vest and hauling him off to who knew where. "It's not like the last few times, Dad! I mean I really, actually hit it!" Hiccup protested, "You guys were busy and I had a very clear shot! It went down just off Raven Point, so let's get a search party out there before it…"

Then Stoick boomed, "STOP! Just… stop." Hiccup immediately went quiet and waited for him to finish. He didn't have to wait long. "Every time you step outside, disaster follows! Can you not see that I have bigger problems? Winter is almost here and I have an entire village to feed!"

Hiccup glanced quickly at the crowd that had gathered and tried to relieve the tension by saying, "Well between you and me, the village could do with a little less feeding, know what you think?" There were murmurs of annoyance amongst the adults. Snivels, who was watching nearby, whimpered. He knew what was coming next.

"This isn't a joke, Hiccup!" Stoick said sharply. "Why can't you follow the simplest orders?" Hiccup hastened to defend himself. "I can't stop myself! I see a dragon and I have to just… kill it. You know, it's who I am, Dad."

Stoick finally sighed. "You're many things, Hiccup," he said quietly. "But a dragon-killer is not one of them. Now get back to the house." He turned to Gobber, who had joined them in the middle of their argument. "Make sure he gets there," he ordered him. "I have this mess to clean up."

Gobber led Hiccup off, Snivels rejoining them and climbing up onto Hiccup's shoulder once again. They passed the other teens and their partners, Snotlout and the twins laughing and making Hiccup feel miserable. "Quite the performance," smirked Tuffnut, his twin sister snickering in the background. Snivels glared at them.

"I have never seen anyone mess up so badly," Snotlout chuckled, "You know, that helped!" "Thank you, thank you. I was trying," Hiccup said. Gobber pushed Snotlout to the ground, still laughing nervously. Snivels grunted, "The charm never stops around here does it?"

Many of the Vikings gasped at what they had heard. Both Stoick and Gobber stopped walking and stood with matching looks of shock. "Did that thing just _talk_?" Stoick asked in disbelief. Hiccup groaned, "Snivels." Snivels's eyes widened as he realized what he had done. "Uh, I mean, uh...oops." None of the other Vikings had known that Snivels could talk, and hearing his comment was enough to surprise them. Stoick just shook his head and continued to walk off. Gobber resumed leading Hiccup to his house, keeping a nervous eye on Snivels. The young Snivy gulped nervously.

As they reached Hiccup's house, Hiccup said dejectedly, "I really hit one." Gobber didn't reply.

Hiccup went on, "He never listens." This time Gobber responded, "It runs in the family." Ignoring this, Hiccup continued, "And when he does, it's with this disappointed scowl, like someone skimped on meat in his sandwich."

Snivels jumped off of Hiccup's shoulder and watched as Hiccup paraded around, doing a pretty good impression of his father. "Excuse me, barmaid! I'm afraid you've brought me the wrong offspring! I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms, extra guts, and glory on the side! This here, this is talking fishbone!" Snivels couldn't help laughing at what Hiccup was doing. He could almost imagine Stoick saying those things. He stopped laughing after glancing at Gobber's expression.

Gobber tried to calm Hiccup down with a gesture and a chuckle. "Now you're thinking about this all wrong," he said. "It's not so much what'cha look like, it's what's _inside_ that he can't stand."

Like that helped. "Thank you for summing that up," Hiccup said sarcastically.

Gobber went on in a more serious tone, "Look, the point is, stop trying so hard to be something you're not." Hiccup sighed resignedly and moaned, "I just want to be one of you guys…" Then he opened the door and walked inside.

But the instant Gobber left, Hiccup snuck out the back and headed for the woods. He wanted to check something out.

No sooner after he left, Snivels ran off as well. There was someone that he needed to talk to.

* * *

Meanwhile, Blaze was examining herself. She was very picky about her appearance and preferred to look her best. Her fireproof fur and feathers were unscathed, and her claws all seemed to be in good condition. Just then, she heard a noise. Acting quickly, she struck a fierce karate pose and turned to see Snivels approaching. Being part Fighting-Type, Blaze was an expert in martial arts. Snivels threw up his small leafy arms in defense. "Easy, easy! It's me!" he said quickly.

Blaze sighed and loosened her form. "Don't sneak up on me like that," she said, she was also able to speak human, "What is it?" Snivels shrugged, and smug grin on his face. "Have you noticed how Hiccup looks at Astrid?" he asked. Blaze nodded. "I have reason to believe that he may have a crush on her," Snivels said. "I've noticed many times," Blaze said, "But I never mention it to my trainer. I refuse to speak to any of them. I never speak human when in their presence." "Why don't you?" Snivels asked. Blaze sighed. "I don't trust them enough to talk to them," she said, "It's not like they'll actually listen to me if I do." "Well I talked to them," Snivels said. "Yeah, you did it without actually realizing it," Blaze protested.

Snivels sighed, knowing that Blaze was right. They had known each other since the days their eggs had hatched. They had been separated after Blaze had been given to Astrid as her partner, and Snivels was given to his first trainer. It had been a while since they had last seen each other, and they certainly didn't want to be separated again. They were good friends, and they always turned to each other for advice when they needed it.

"So, anyway, about our trainers..." Snivels began, but Blaze cut him off. "I've been thinking a lot about convincing my trainer that Hiccup really isn't that bad. He's obviously the only one who actually appreciates her for who she is." "How do you know that?" Snivels asked. Blaze shrugged. "I just know," she said with a small smile. Snivels smiled back and nodded. "So we both agree?" he asked. "Yes," Blaze said, "We'll try to get them together." "What about the dragons?" Snivels asked. "They'll learn the truth eventually," Blaze said, "But until then, it's all our little secret." Snivels nodded, and then ran off to find Hiccup. Blaze's eyes followed Snivels as he left. _He really has a lot of potential, _she thought to herself, _He's obviously perfect for being Hiccup's partner_.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the Great Hall, Stoick was hosting a large meeting with all of the other Viking adults and their Pokémon partners.

"Either we finish them or they'll finish us!" Stoick proclaimed to the rest of the Vikings. They were gathered around the central fire pit, where they always went to discuss our problems and how to solve them. Needless to say, most of the time they were there to complain about the dragon infestation.

"It's the only way we'll be rid of them," the chief continued, slamming a hand down on the table. "If we find the nest and destroy it, the dragons will leave. They'll find another home." He took a knife and plunged it into a region on the map in front of him, a foggy, uncharted area where the dragon nest was said to be. "One more search, before the ice sets in!"

Someone on the other side called, "Those ships never come back!" There were mutterings of agreement from everyone else. "We're Vikings!" Stoick said exasperatedly. "It's an occupational hazard! Now who's with me?"

No one spoke up, although there was an increase in the muttering. "All right," Stoick decided, standing to his full height. "Those who stay will look after Hiccup." Everyone instantly raised their hand to volunteer. "Now that's more like it," Stoick said, half to himself. Beartic grunted in approval.

As everyone left, Stoick and Beartic walked up to Gobber, who was sitting near the back of the room with his Probopass. "I'll pack me undies," he said, getting ready to leave as well. "No," Stoick told him. "I need you to stay and train some new recruits."

Gobber rolled his eyes and fiddled with his tankard-arm. "Perfect," he muttered. "And while I'm busy, Hiccup can cover the stall! Molten steel, razor-sharp blades, lots of time to himself… what could possibly go wrong?"

Stoick sighed. Sometimes it was difficult being the chief, especially when one of the biggest problems was that of his own son. "What am I going to do with him, Gobber?" he asked. Sitting next to Probopass, Beartic grunted. This was obviously going to take a while. "Put him in training," Gobber suggested.

Stoick thought he was joking for a minute. "I'm serious," he told Gobber. "So am I," he answered.

Now Stoick was astonished. "He'll be killed before the first dragon's out of its cage."

"Oh, you don't know that," Gobber said dismissively, going back to his drink. "I do, actually," Stoick said. "No you don't," Gobber retorted, to which Stoick said again, "Yes, I do." Gobber turned back to Stoick and said with emphasis, "No, you don't!"

Stoick got up and started pacing. "You know what he's like…From the time he could crawl he's been...different...He doesn't listen…he has the attention span of a sparrow…I take him fishing and he goes hunting for… for trolls!"

Gobber cut in emphatically, "Trolls exist! They steal your socks. But only the left ones. What's with that?"

Stoick started a speech. "When I was a boy" – Gobber rolled his eyes again and said under his breath, "Here we go…" – "My father told me to bash my head against a rock, and I did it. I thought he was crazy, but I didn'tquestion it. And you know what happened?"

Gobber, who had lost the stone that he liked to carry in his empty tooth socket, guessed sarcastically, "You got a headache."

Ignoring this, Stoick continued with his story. "That rock split in two. It… it taught me what a Viking can do, Gobber. He can crush mountains, level forests, tame seas! …Even as a boy, I knew what I was, what I had to become… and Hiccup is not that boy."

There was silence from Gobber, before he said firmly, "Yeh can't stop him, Stoick. You can only prepare him." Stoick considered this for a moment as Gobber went on. "I know it seems hopeless, but the truth is, you won't always be around to protect 'im. He's going to get out there again! He's probably out there now!"

* * *

Meanwhile, out in the middle of the forest, Hiccup was trying to find the Night Fury he had shot down. He peered intently at the little book he held in his hand. In it, he had sketched a simple map of the Berk woods, and was now trying to determine where the Night Fury had crashed. So far, he had mapped out more than a dozen possible impact sites, and none had proven correct.

Scribbling angrily with his stick of charcoal, he resignedly snapped the book shut and put it away in the pocket of his vest. "Oh, the gods hate me," he mumbled, walking aimlessly through the forest, "Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me! I manage to lose an entire dragon?!" He decided to take out his frustration on a tree branch in his way, slapping it with all of his might. Unfortunately for him, it slapped him back, causing him to cringe.

Something made him stop and look. The tree that the branch belonged to had split in two, with one half standing upright, and the other bending down towards the ground. It looked as if the tree had been struck by lightning, except that it wasn't burnt.

There was something else that was suspicious. There was a huge track of plowed earth running beyond the tree and vanishing over the next hill. It was as if something had plunged out of the sky and violently skidded to a halt.

Hiccup decided to investigate. Hopping over the fallen tree, he followed the track of dirt and mud to the top of the hill. Rounding an exposed tree root, he turned back to the hill – and saw a black shape sitting in the middle of a clearing.

Instantly, he hit the ground by reflex, terrified that the dragon had noticed him. He didn't hear any reaction though, so he cautiously peeked over the top of the hill. The Night Fury wasn't moving, as if it were unconscious…or dead.

Gripping his knife with such force, Hiccup ducked and ran as fast as he could for the nearest boulder. Pressing his back to it, he cautiously slid around it and risked another peek. The dragon hadn't moved.

Hiccup suddenly felt a surge of courage. Boldly stepping up to the dragon, he took the time to examine it. It was pitch-black all over, with stubby talons and a finned head. Its wings were broad and quite majestic, even while pinned to its body with the bola he had shot at it.

"I did it," Hiccup murmured. "Oh, yes, this… this fixes everything! Yes, I have brought down this mighty beast" – placing his foot on the dragon's body, he threw myself against the boulder as it suddenly moved, kicking feebly at his touch.

Breathing hard, Hiccup saw the Night Fury regain its consciousness, taking long, deep breaths. He held his knife out in front of him, prepared to defend himself if it suddenly attacked. He gave the Night Fury the once-over, trying to determine where to strike in order to kill it. He suddenly got the feeling that he was being watched, and he soon found himself looking into the dragon's vivid green eyes.

They both held each other's gaze for a few seconds; Hiccup was fascinated, and the dragon seemed curious. Hiccup quickly looked away and readied his knife. "I'm gonna kill you, dragon," he muttered. "Then I'm… I'm gonna cut out your heart and give it to my father."

There was no response from the Night Fury. "I'm a Viking," Hiccup said simply, then glared at the dragon. "I'm a Viking!" he repeated, raising his voice. Then, knife clutched in both of his hands, he held it high above his head, prepared to end the dragon's life with one stab.

But something made him stop. He once again looked into the Night Fury's eyes; they were wide, as if the dragon was afraid. They widened up a little more as the dragon waited in anticipation for what he would do.

Cringing, Hiccup squinted his eyes shut and once again raised his knife high. He heard the dragon's moan, and the gentle thud as its head slumped to the ground. It had given up, and was waiting for him to claim its life.

As for Hiccup, he was trying desperately to summon the courage to bring the blade down. But…he couldn't do it. No matter how hard he tried to forget, the image of the Night Fury's innocent, frightened eyes couldn't escape his memory.

Finally, he gave up, just as the dragon had. He let his hand drop to his side, still clutching the knife. "I did this…" he whispered, voice heavy with guilt. He turned to leave, then glanced back at the helpless dragon. It was just lying there, waiting for its life to end. The pathetic sight made Hiccup suck in a breath in preparation for what he was going to do next.

He rushed back to the Night Fury's body and began cutting at the ropes that bound it. He felt it tense as it realized what was going on. There were only three more ropes to cut… Now two… now only one…

And then it pounced on Hiccup, driving him to the ground and pinning him under its claws. Gasping for breath, Hiccup looked up into the dragon's face. No longer were its eyes wide and scared. Now they were narrowed and focused, and carrying with them an undercurrent of ferocity.

The eyes of a true predator.

They gazed at each other once more, this time with their positions switched – with the Night Fury standing over Hiccup, preparing to finish him off. It raised its head and snarled, and Hiccup braced himself for the pain and the darkness.

The dragon lowered its head and produced an ear-splitting screech that echoed in Hiccup's ears long after it had dissipated. Then the Night Fury tore off into the woods, free once more. Hiccup saw its silhouette through the thickening mist as it suddenly careened into a tree. A second later, it was gone.

Hiccup numbly picked up his knife and pocketed it, then began his walk back to the village. However, five steps later, he fainted.

* * *

Snivels, who had been hiding in the underbrush when Hiccup found the Night Fury, was amazed by what he had seen. Hiccup had the defenseless dragon at his mercy, and the dragon seemed to be afraid. When Snivels saw Hiccup raise the knife, his heart skipped a beat. "Don't do it..." he muttered under his breath, "Please, don't do it!" As if Hiccup had heard him, he had dropped the knife and instead cut the dragon free. When the dragon pounced on Hiccup and roared, Snivels covered his ears as the screeches of the dragon carried far and wide. He could only hope that no one at the village heard it.

And after Hiccup had fainted, Snivels rushed out of his hiding place and, with difficulty, began to drag his trainer in the direction of the village.

* * *

**So there you have it. Both Snivels and Blaze can talk, and they're friends too. They also seem to be the only ones who know the truth about the dragon raids. Review, follow, or favorite, and I'll update ASAP!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Dragon Training Day One

**I'll admit, although crossovers don't get as many reviews as the normal ones, I always look forward to getting one or two on this story. If you would like to comment on the plot, and its changes, you can leave a review if you want.**

* * *

It had taken nearly all day, but Snivels had somehow managed to drag Hiccup all the way back to his house. It was true, Hiccup didn't really weigh that much, but with Snivels being the size he was, it felt like Hiccup weighed nearly as much as a Graveler. _I guess it could be worse,_ Snivels thought to himself, _At least I didn't have to drag Stoick_. That would have been like trying to drag a Snorlax around, which was extremely difficult to do.

He tried to wake up his trainer. "Hiccup, come on wake up! We're at your house, come on! Wake up!" But Hiccup stayed unconscious. Snivels then leaned in really close, and screamed in his ear, "HICCUP!" That did it. Hiccup awoke with a start. "Snivels? What's going on? Where are we?" Snivels pointed at the Haddock's house. "We're back home," he said. Hiccup looked at Snivels. "How did we get here?" he asked. "I had to drag you all the way over here," Snivels said. "By yourself?" Hiccup asked. Snivels nodded. Hiccup sighed. "We'll talk about this later," he said, "I have to get up to my room before Dad notices I'm gone."

Moving quietly, Hiccup and Snivels sneaked in through the back door. Both Stoick and Beartic were crouched over the fire, their backs to the two misfits. Opening and closing the door quietly, Hiccup quickly made his way toward the stairs, with Snivels riding on his shoulder. Hiccup had just started climbing up the stairs when Stoick suddenly said, "Hiccup."

Hiccup froze and replied, "Dad! …Uh, I need to talk to you, Dad." Stoick turned to face his son, rubbing his hands together. "I need to speak with you too, son."

They both took a deep breath and spoke, unfortunately at the exact same time. "I think it's time you learn to fight dragons." "I don't want to learn to fight dragons." They both looked at each other with confusion and said, "What?" Snivels said nothing, silenced by Beartic's glare.

Stoick looked awkwardly at Hiccup. "You go first," he said. Hiccup shook his head. "No, you go first," he insisted as he climbed back down the stairs. Snivels shook his head, trying to tell Hiccup that wasn't a good idea. But Hiccup paid no attention to Snivels.

Stoick sighed. "You get your wish," he said, "Dragon training. You and your Snivy start in the morning."

Hearing this, Hiccup grew very alarmed. "Oh man, I should have gone first," he said, "Because, you know, we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings. But do we have enough...bread-making Vikings? Or small, home repair, Vikings?..." He was interrupted by Snivels. "I believe what he's trying to say is that..." But Stoick interrupted him by giving Hiccup an axe and telling him, "You'll need this." Trying desperately not to drop the heavy axe, Hiccup finally said, "I don't want to fight dragons."

Thinking that Hiccup was joking, Stoick laughed. "Come on! Yes, you do!" he said. Hiccup sighed. "Rephrase," he said, "Dad, I can't kill dragons!" Stoick shook his head, still laughing. "But you will kill dragons," he said. "No, I'm pretty extra-sure that I won't!" Hiccup nearly yelled. Snivels could sense the fear in Hiccup's voice. He was getting really desperate.

Stoick's expression grew suddenly grim. "It's time, Hiccup." "Can you not hear me?!" Hiccup asked, his voice breaking with fear. "He has a point," Snivels finally spoke up, "Not everyone is meant to do certain things, especially if they're not good at it. It may sound a little weird, but even the bravest of Vikings get scared. And...I'm getting off-subject. What I'm trying to say is that do you really think that it's a good idea to send us into..."

"This is _serious_." Stoick interrupted. Snivels immediately stopped talking and jumped down onto the floor. Stoick took the axe from Hiccup. "When you carry this axe," he said, "You carry all of us with you." He handed the axe back to Hiccup. "That means you walk like us," he paused before adjusting Hiccup's posture, "You talk like us, you think like us. No more of...this." He gestured to his son.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and said, "You just gestured to all of me." Stoick's expression didn't change. "Deal?" he asked. "This conversation is feeling very one-sided," Hiccup complained. "Deal?!" Stoick asked again, more harshly. Hiccup sighed, and then said, "Deal." He knew that he would later regret it.

But Stoick was satisfied. He swung a basket onto his shoulder and muttered, "Good." He reached for his helmet, which Beartic handed to him. "Train hard," he said as he and Beartic headed for the door, "We'll be back...probably." "And we'll be here...maybe." Hiccup said. Snivels climbed back up onto his shoulder as Stoick and Beartic exited. Beartic stopped suddenly and turned around, glaring at Snivels. Snivels shrank down in fear. "Okay, that's not really installing a lot of confidence," he said.

Beartic just grunted as Stoick shut the door.

* * *

The next morning, Gobber and the teens, as well as their Pokémon, stood at the entrance to the training arena. Gobber pushed the iron gate upwards, allowing it to slide easily out of his way. "Welcome to dragon training!" he called in a jolly voice, allowing the trainees to walk past him into the arena. "No turning back," Astrid murmured as she and Blaze led the way for the others.

The teens and their Pokémon found themselves gazing in wonder at the immense, chain-linked net that covered the arena, preventing the caged dragons that were used in training from flying away.

"I hope I get some serious burns!" said Tuffnut with his characteristic sadistic grin. "I'm hoping for some mauling… like on my shoulders or lower back," his sister Ruffnut piled on. "Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it," agreed Astrid.

"Yeah, no kidding right?" Hiccup said from the back of the group, making everyone turn to look at him. "Pain...love it!" There were a few groans. "Who let him in?" asked Tuffnut exasperatedly.

"Let's get started!" shouted Gobber, pulling the gate back down, sealing them all in. "The recruits who do best," he continued, "will win the honor of killing their first dragons in front of the entire village."

Snotlout sneered, "Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so does that disqualify him?" The twins both burst out laughing. Hiccup did his best to ignore them. Snivels snickered quietly. "Stupid says 'what'." he whispered. Snotlout looked at Snivels. "What?" he asked. "Nothing," Snivels replied, a mischievous grin on his face.

The teens all lined up in front of the cages. Hiccup and Snivels ended up being next to Fishlegs and Lombre. "Behind these doors," lectured Gobber, "are just a few of the many species you'll learn to fight! The Deadly Nadder and Flygon..." To which Fishlegs muttered "Armor: 16, Pokémon weak to Ice-Types." "...The Hideous Zippleback and the Zweilous..." "Plus 11 stealth times 2, Pokémon immune to Psychic-Types." "...The Monstrous Nightmare and the Salamence..." "Firepower: 15, Pokémon immune to Ground-Types." "...The Terrible Terror and the Meleon..." "Attack: 8, Venom: 12, Pokémon weak to Ice-Types!" "Can you stop that?!" Gobber shouted before concluding, "And the Gronkle and Sliggoo." "Jaw Strength: 8, Pokémon hard to grip," Fishlegs muttered.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Snotlout said. "Aren't you gonna teach us first?!" Gobber smirked and adjusted his grip on the lever. "I believe in learning on the job," he snickered, before pushing down on the lever.

A Gronkle burst from out of the cage, snarling and flying around at high speed, a Sliggoo riding on its back. Everyone scattered as the dragon bumbled around clumsily. "Today's lesson is about survival," Gobber shouted over the sudden din. "If you get blasted" – he paused as the Gronkle, unable to turn in time, slammed into a wall – "You're dead! Quick, what's the first thing you're going to need?"

Hiccup shouted sarcastically, "A doctor?" Fishlegs worriedly guessed, "Plus 5 speed?" Astrid, naturally, got the correct answer. "A shield!" she shouted, to which Gobber directed the teens and Pokémon towards the rack bearing the various shields.

"Your most important piece of equipment is your shield," Gobber instructed. "If you have to make a choice between a sword and a shield, take the shield!"

Naturally, Tuffnut, Ruffnut, Nidorino, and Nidorina began fighting over a shield that they wanted. Nidorino and his sister gripped the shield in their teeth, trying to help their trainers pull it out of the other's grasp. "Take that one," suggested Tuff. "It's got a flower on it. Girls like flowers." His sister suddenly tore the shield from his grasp and with help from Nidorina, slammed it on top of his head. "Oops," she said with mock regret. "Now this one has blood on it."

None of them noticed that the Gronkle was zeroing in on them until it was too late. It shot a fireball that exploded against the shield, throwing them to the ground. The Sliggoo on the Gronkle's back then hit Nidorino and Nidorina with Dragonbreath. "Ruffnut! Tuffnut! Nidorino! Nidorina! You're all out!" Gobber yelled as they got up dazedly.

"Those shields are good fer another thing," he continued. "Noise! Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim!" Everyone simultaneously began to bash their weapons against their shields, the sudden noise causing the Gronkle to shake its head confusedly.

"Now," Gobber kept up the talk while the teens and their Pokémon avoided the Gronkle. "Every dragon has a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronkle and a Sliggoo have all together?"

"15?" Snotlout guessed. "No, 26!" Fishlegs shouted. Gobber nodded. "Correct, 26. That's 6 for the Gronkle and 20 for the Sliggoo."

The Gronkle fires another fireball, which crashes into Fishlegs's shield, shattering it. Immediately after, Sliggoo hit the exposed Lombre with Dragonbreath, paralyzing it instantly. "Fishlegs, Lombre, out!" Gobber called as Fishlegs grabbed Lombre and made a run for it. "Of course, Dragonbreath can paralyze the opponent!" Fishlegs said as he ran for cover.

Hiccup was hiding behind the shield rack, Snivels perched on his shoulder. "Hiccup, get in there!" Gobber demanded. Hiccup was about to get out when another fireball from the Gronkle hit the wall inches from him and Snivels. Hiccup dove back into his hiding spot without hesitation.

After making sure that the Gronkle's attention was focused elsewhere, Hiccup cautiously crawled out into the open. As he did so, the Gronkle fired another blast at a distracted Snotlout and blew his shield to bits, exposing Magmar, who was blasted with Dragonbreath. "Snotlout! Magmar! You're both done!" called Gobber.

Astrid and Blaze had both dodged the blast, and they both found themselves next to Hiccup and Snivels. "So I guess it's just you and me, huh?" Hiccup asked. Too late, Astrid's eyes widen and she replied, "Nope. Just you!" She and Blaze quickly ran away, and before he could do anything to stop it, the Gronkle blasted Hiccup's shield, knocking it out of his hand. The force of the shot also caused Snivels to fall off of Hiccup's shoulder and onto the rock-hard ground.

"One shot left!" cried Gobber as Hiccup ran after his smoking shield. He could hear the Gronkle's thrumming wings as it and the Sliggoo closed in on him. Veering to the side, it blocked his way, separating him from the shield and chasing him towards a wall. The Sliggoo somehow slid off of the Gronkle's back and landed nearby.

The Gronkle easily pinned Hiccup against the wall. Hovering on the spot, it opened its mouth to blast Hiccup with its last shot, and he braced himself…

…Only to hear the deafening boom of the fireball hitting the wall next to him. Hiccup opened his eyes and saw two green vines wrapped around the Gronkle's ears. The Gronkle turned to see Snivels, using Vine Whip to grip its ears. He had used it to pull the Gronkle's head upwards, making it miss its mark. "Gotcha!" Snivels said triumphantly.

His excitement didn't last long, though. The Gronkle swung its head around, lifting Snivels off of the ground and slamming him into the wall. The vines immediately released their grip around the Gronkle's ears as Snivels slid down the wall, and slumped to the ground, the vines lying limply beside him. "Are you okay, Snivels?" Hiccup asked. Snivels then tried to push himself up, but ended up slumping back to the ground. "No," he replied.

The Gronkle growled at Snivels, but was stopped by the Sliggoo. "_Sliggoo, Sliggoo, Sligg, Sliggoo!_" it said. The Gronkle nodded and then hovered back into its cage, grabbing the Sliggoo expertly in its claws while doing so. "That's right," Gobber said as he chased them in, "Go back to bed you overgrown sausage and snail!"

Gobber locked the door and muttered, "You'll get another chance, don't you worry." Then, turning to the teens and their partners, he wrapped up his lesson. "Remember, a dragon will always… _always_…"

He hoisted Hiccup up by the arm and finished in a deadly whisper, "…go for the kill."

As Gobber and the others walked out of the arena, Hiccup remembered something about the Night Fury he had freed in the woods.

* * *

Crouching over the remains of the ropes that had once trapped the Night Fury, Hiccup murmured, "So why didn't you?" Getting up again, he squinted through the trees, recalling the sight of the Night Fury escaping in that very same direction. Snivels was standing nearby, looking at the ropes.

Hiccup made the decision to see where the dragon had gotten to. He walked deeper into the forest, trying to figure out the path the dragon might have taken. Surprisingly, he noticed that it had left a clear path behind – when he looked closely, several trees looked like they had been damaged.

The pattern continued on in a mostly straight direction, so he followed it. Briefly, he wondered why a dragon would fly into so many trees when it could have avoided them.

The journey ended at what looked like a solid rock wall that was about ten feet high. Seeing a rather large crack in the side of it, Hiccup ducked through and traversed the short tunnel that the crack had formed.

The sight that met his eyes then was stunning. He was standing on a small cliff overlooking a huge crater-like structure at least twenty feet deep. On the other side was a gigantic tree whose roots dangled over the edge and right down to the ground. The peaceful scene was complete with singing birds and the presence of a clear lake dominating the bottom of the gorge.

The Night Fury was nowhere in sight. "This was stupid," he sighed to himself. That's when he saw something glinting in the sunlight. He looked down and saw several flat, black objects rather like river stones. He picked one up, feeling the smooth, shiny surface under his fingers.

_Wait, these are scales, aren't they?_ he wondered. He peered harder at the object in his hand. He hadn't seen a dragon scale by itself up close before, so he wasn't entirely sure.

All at once, there was a scream and a huge black shadow that came shooting up from the below. Hiccup instinctively fell back, watching as the shadow passed by, heading for the rim of the crater. Looking straight up, he saw the Night Fury practically right next to him, scrabbling with its claws at the stone that made up the walls of the gorge.

Failing in its attempt to climb up, the Night Fury quickly glided away on silent wings, only to crash-land on the banks of the lake. Apparently frustrated, it tried again at a different location, only to get the same result – failure.

An inspiration struck Hiccup. He dug out his little notebook and piece of charcoal and quickly sketched a drawing of the Night Fury, noting the position of its fins and its general body shape.

"Why don't you just… fly away?" he quietly asked it, as if it could hear. As it spat a blue bolt of flame at the ground in anger, Hiccup noticed that the tail was missing one of its fins. That, he guessed, was the source of the dragon's inability to fly properly. He unconsciously smudged out one of the tail fins he had drawn.

"A Night Fury needs its tail fins to steer," came a voice. Hiccup turned to the entrance of the cove to see Snivels standing there. Snivels expertly jumped down onto the rock that Hiccup was on. "If a Night Fury loses one or both of its tail fins, it can't steer," Snivels explained, "And if it can't steer, it can't fly properly."

The Night Fury tried again, only to crash even harder. From their vantage point, Hiccup and Snivels saw it go limp, as if it were giving up. Then they watched as it crept to the edge of the lake and thrust its head in. _Is it catching fish, maybe?_ Hiccup asked himself. If it was, that effort was fruitless as well.

Hiccup was totally fascinated by this mysterious creature, so fascinated that he let his grip on the charcoal loosen. Too late, he fumbled for it, only to see the stick fall with a clatter onto the rocks below.

Instinctively, Hiccup and Snivels shot nervous glances at the Night Fury, only to see its vivid green eyes staring right back at them. They paused. Was that a hint of recognition that they saw deep in those orbs?

With a tiny jolt, the dragon tilted its head ever so slightly. It seemed to share their curiosity. At that moment, a single thought crept through Hiccup's mind.

_Are dragons really just pests to be killed? Or are they something more?_

* * *

**So, Snivels is able to use the move Vine Whip, and he used it to save his trainer. Is he really as inexperienced as everyone thinks he is? Also, in case you guys haven't noticed, Snivels obviously likes riding on Hiccup's shoulder. And the whole "stupid says 'what'" thing was Snivels's way of calling Snotlout stupid. And if any of you were wondering, the Sliggoo was telling the Gronkle not to attack. Please review, follow, or favorite!**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Charmander, the Stray Pokémon

**This chapter shares its name with an actual episode from the Pokémon anime. There will be the reading of the Dragon Manuel and the Pokedex, and the name of the chapter says what else.**

* * *

When Hiccup and Snivels returned from their walk in the woods, a thunderstorm rolled in, causing them to get drenched by the pouring rain. "Looks like Thundurus and Thor are angry," Snivels said as the lightning flashed, and the thunder roared. Thor, you might have guessed, was the Norse God of Thunder, and according to legend, his Pokémon partner was the Legendary Thundurus, a Flying and Electric-Type.

Night had fallen, making it nearly impossible to see anything through the pouring rain, except for the torches at the Great Hall, which were covered by the overhang, protected from the rain. Not wanting to fall in the mud, Snivels proceeded to ride on Hiccup's shoulder as they approached the Great Hall.

The voices of Gobber and the teens, as well as their Pokémon, could be heard as Hiccup opened the doors of the hall. "Where did Astrid and Blaze go wrong in the ring today?" Gobber asked. Astrid sighed. "I mistimed my somersault dive, it was sloppy, threw off my reverse tumble. It also threw Blaze off-guard." "Yeah, we noticed," Tuffnut replied. Snotlout shook his head. "No that was so cool, that was so...'Astrid.'" "She's right," Gobber said, "You have to be tough on yourselves.

By that time, Hiccup had reached the table and taken the last plate, which had a chicken leg on it. Snivels was still perched on his shoulder.

"Where did Hiccup and Snivels go wrong?" Gobber asked. _Here it comes,_ Hiccup said in his thoughts. Snivels, however, was amazed that Gobber actually remembered his name.

Snickering, Ruffnut suggested, "They showed up?" "They didn't get eaten!" Tuffnut added. Their laughing was cut off by Astrid. "They're never where they should be," she said. Snivels looked at Blaze, who shrugged as if to say "Sorry."

Ignoring their insults, Hiccup went over to sit at an empty table. It was then that Snivels finally jumped down off of his shoulder. The young Snivy glanced over at the teens, noticing that they had all gone back to the food on their plates. Snivels suddenly pulled his arms from behind his back, revealing an almost perfectly round rock that he had found earlier. Aiming carefully, he threw the rock at Snotlout, hitting him in the face.

Snotlout glared at Snivels, and jumped out of his seat. "You're so dead!" he yelled. Gasping, Snivels jumped down from the table and ran around the Great Hall, with Snotlout right behind him. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Snivel repeated as Snotlout continued to chase him. It was true, Snivels had thrown the rock at Snotlout on purpose, but now with the bully chasing him, Snivels wished he hadn't thrown it in the first place. Snotlout was fast, but Snivels was much faster. Everyone watched as Snivels seemed to move at a lightning-fast speed, staying at least 15 steps ahead of his angry pursuer.

As fast as Snivels was, Snotlout wasn't about to give up. He skidded across the floor as Snivels made a sharp turn in the other direction. With Snotlout struggling to stand, Snivels turned around and lunged at him, hitting him in the stomach with a Tackle attack. Snotlout was knocked backward, and fell onto the hard floor of the Great Hall. Snivels then unleashed a frenzy of Vine Whips, hitting Snotlout over and over, to get him to stay back. Getting the message, a slightly frightened Snotlout scrambled back to the table the others were sitting at.

Shaking his head, Gobber moved some stuff off of the table that the others were sitting at. "You have to live and breathe this stuff," he announced, holding up two old books in his hand. "The Dragon Manual and the Book of Pokémon– everything we know about every dragon and Pokémon we know of." He let the books fall onto the table.

A flash of lightning and a rumble of thunder dimly sounded outside. "No attacks tonight," muttered Gobber. "Study up."

It took a moment for his words to sink in to the others. "Wait," said Tuffnut in realization. "You mean _read_?!" Ruffnut piled on, "While we're still _alive_?" Snotlout slammed his fist onto the table in frustration. "Why read words when you can kill the stuff words tell you stuff about?" "Let me put it this way," Snivels said, "If you don't read the words, you won't know how to kill it. And if you don't know how, you'll end up getting killed instead – which would some of us a great favor." Snotlout grunted, "Sorry, but we all have better things to do than read." "Then, who'd you just say sorry to?" Snivels asked.

Snotlout's expression then changed to shock, realizing what he had done. "Someone else," he said quickly. "Then why'd you just say someone else?" Snivels asked with a smirk. Snotlout pretended to cough, muttering, "Poke-freak." "Nose-picker," Snivels shock back. "Leaf-tailed snake!" Snotlout nearly shouted. "_Magmar!_" Magmar soon joined the argument. "Dipwad!" Snivels shouted. "That's enough!" Gobber and Probopass still hadn't left the hall, and they had heard what was going on, and Gobber decided to end it.

After Gobber and Probopass left, Fishlegs started talking. "I've read them, like, seven times. There's this water dragon that sprays boiling water at your face, and it's partner..." He was cut off by Tuffnut. "There was a chance I was going to read them," he grumbled, and Ruff finished, "But now..." Snotlout growled. "You guys read, I'll go kill stuff." He stood up and left the Great Hall, with the others trailing behind him.

That left Hiccup, Astrid, and their Pokémon. He made a move for the books lying next to her.

"So, I guess we'll share?" Hiccup said, somewhat hopeful. Astrid shook her head. "Read them," she said, pushing the books slightly toward him. "All mine then," Hiccup said, "Okay, so I'll see you...tomorrow." Astrid and Blaze had both left, leaving Hiccup and Snivels alone.

It was quite dark by now in the Great Hall (the wind having blown the central fire out), so Hiccup lit a candle and opened the Book of Pokémon. He decided to leave the Dragon Manuel for later.

The first Pokémon he looked up was his starter. "_Snivy, the Grass Snake Pokémon. Cool, calm, and collected, it photosynthesizes with the leaf on its tail, and uses the sunlight it absorbs to make energy, which it later uses in battle. When it gets thirsty, its tail droops._" It didn't say how fast a Snivy could move, much to Hiccup's disappointment.

The next page showed a Pokémon the Hiccup had never seen before. It looked a lot like Snivy, except that it was bigger, and its tail was longer and had more leaves. It also had some sort of horn on its head. "_Servine, the Grass Snake Pokémon, and the evolved form of Snivy. It hides in the shadows of bushes and shrubs, jumping out at its opponents using ambush attacks._" Hiccup knew that one day, Snivels might evolve.

The next page showed a drawing of what looked like a green snake with two large horns on its head, no legs, and two small leafy arms. "_Serperior, the Regal Pokémon, and the evolved form of Servine. It absorbs sunlight through its horns and then boosts the power internally. Its glare is enough to stop its opponents in their tracks._" Hiccup was about to turn the page when he noticed writing at the bottom. "_It was believed that Serperior were Dragon-Type Pokémon, since they were able to learn the move Dragon Tail. But after further research, it was revealed that they were only Grass-Types, but not before many of them were killed, nearly making the species extinct._" Hiccup didn't hesitate to turn the page.

He skipped the pages about Torchic, Combusken, Magby, Magmar, Nidoran, Nidorino, Nidorina, Lotad, Lombre, Cubchoo, Beartic, Nosepass, and Probopass; since he already knew a lot about them. He skipped all the way to nearly the end of the book, where there was a list of the Legendary Pokémon.

Moltres, Zapdos, Articuno, Mew, Mewtwo, Entei, Raikuo, Suicune, Celebi, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Latios, Latias, Kyogre, Groudon, Rayquaza, Jirachi, Deoxys, Rotom, Uxie, Mesprit, Azelf, Dialga, Palkia, Giritina, Heatran, Cresselia, Phione, Manaphy, Shaymin, Darkrai, Arceus, Cobalion, Terrakion, Virizion, Tornadus, Thundurus, Reshiram, Zekrom, Landorus, Kyurem, Victini, Keldeo, Meloetta, Genesect, Xerneas, Yveltal, Zygarde, Solaran, Lunaro, Cellance, Gazear, Healthia, Pollusion, Gemmany, and...

...the Regis.

Hiccup skipped ahead to the list of the Regis.

Regirock, Registeel, Regice, Regiearth, Regicore, Regisea, Regiwind, Regivolt, and Regigigas.

Hiccup then noticed something on the very last page of the book. "_For those of you who have read this far, you now know the names of the Legendary Pokémon. Due to only a few witnesses, the images of the Pokémon were never recorded. The most remarkable thing is the thought that they could be out there, waiting for someone, anyone, to prove themselves a worthy hero. Oddly enough, though some of the Legendaries are Dragon-Types, they never take part in any dragons raids._"

Hiccup closed the Book of Pokémon, put it aside, and turned to the Dragon Manuel. He opened it.

"Dragon classifications," he read out loud. "Strike class, Fear class, Mystery class."

He began with the Tidal class. The first page depicted a detailed sketch of a Thunderdrum. "_This reclusive dragon inhabits sea caves and dark tide pools with its partner Druddigon,_" said the book. "_When startled, the Thunderdrum releases a concussive sound that can kill a man at close range. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight._"

The next dragon was a Scauldron. It was a bit of a funny-looking beast, with its enormous belly and long, serpent-like neck. "_This dragon's partners are Kingdra, and members of the Flashinfin family. __The Scauldron sprays boiling water at its victims. To acquire this firepower, it heats up seawater in its cauldron-like stomach. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight._"

Hiccup flipped to the Mystery class. "_Changewings are known for their chameleon ability, being able to blend in with any environment. These dragons are aided by members of the Haxorus family. Each Changewing is different, as they acquire characteristics from their chosen environment. Some may have leaf-like scales sprouting from their legs, others may have pebble-like warts covering their bodies. They can spray a deadly acid, even when newly hatched. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight._"

"_Boneknappers are said to be purely myth, although eyewitness accounts have been recorded every hundred years or so. They are poorly defended, so they cloak themselves with a coat of stolen bones. Strangely, this dragon hasn't been seen with a Pokémon partner. A Boneknapper with a full set of armor is said to be so terrifying in appearance that even an experienced Viking can go mad with fear upon seeing one. Its roar is so awesome, it can rip flesh from bones. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight._"

"_The Whispering Death is so feared that even saying its name can provoke shudders of horror. They are aided by Pokémon of the Garchomp family. Its weak vocal chords ensure that it cannot roar, only hiss softly. They prefer ambush attacks, burrowing up underneath prey by drilling through rock with their multiple sets of rotating teeth. Because of their habit of gently hissing in victims' ears before attacking, it is rumored that they prefer the taste of prey that has died in a state of fear. Extremely dangerous, kill on sight._"

The Gronckle was next. Hiccup already knew a lot about Gronckles, so he turned the page again. Awaiting him in the Sharp class were two equally well-known dragons – the Deadly Nadder and Timberjack. Reflecting on how Timberjacks could fly through dense forests by simply slicing through the trees with their razor-sharp wings, along with Dracofly, he skipped several pages. The pictures on the pages seemed to come alive, and move as Hiccup flipped through them. "Extremely dangerous. Extremely dangerous. Kill on sight. Kill on sight. Kill on sight."

Hiccup flipped to the very last page of the Dragon Manual. The page was mostly blank, except for a little bit of writing at the top and bottom. "Night Fury," he breathed, reading out loud once more. "Speed unknown, size unknown. The unholy offspring of lightning and death itself. Never engage this dragon. Your only hope: hide and pray it does not find you."

Unconsciously, Hiccup took out his sketchbook and opened it to the page with his drawing of the Night Fury in the forest canyon. He held it out and placed it on the open manual, so that the page looked complete at last.

"Hiccup!" Snivels had left the Great Hall, and was outside in the storm. "Hiccup, come quick!" Hiccup looked up from the book. He quickly grabbed his sketchbook and tucked it back into his vest. He then ran outside to see what Snivels was yelling about.

* * *

Snivels was drenched by the rain, but he didn't care. His focus was on something completely different. Hiccup ran up to him. "What's wrong?" he asked. Snivels pointed underneath one of the nearby buildings. There was a weak, but telltale light underneath it. Crawling under the building, Hiccup and Snivels found a weak, orange, lizard-like Pokémon with a small flame at the end of its tail. A Charmander. And it was dying. Once the flame at the end of a Charmander's tail went out, the Pokémon died.

Hiccup quickly took off his vest and wrapped it around Charmander to keep it warm. He and Snivels crawled out from underneath the building and headed for their house. "I'll make sure that Charmander's tail flame stays lit," Hiccup said.

They made it back to the house and quickly set Charmander in front of the fire, still wrapped in Hiccup's vest. Snivels got out a blanket, took the vest off of Charmander, and draped the blanket over the shivering Pokémon. Snivels handed Hiccup back his vest and he put it on, it was slightly warm from what was left of Charmander's fading heat. As the night slowly passed, Charmander's tail flame grew, little by little. Snivels fed it an Oran Berry to help it heal faster. "It'll be alright," he whispered. By morning, Charmander opened its eyes and looked around.

Hiccup was the first to notice that Charmander was awake. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. Charmander nodded and whispered, "Thank you." Its voice woke up Snivels, who looked into Charmander's eyes. Enchanted, he slowly moved forward until he was inches from it. "You're a girl," Snivels said suddenly. "No kidding," Charmander said, "you noticed." "Has anyone ever told you that you're brighter than the sun?" Snivels asked, blushing furiously. When Charmander heard this, she blushed as well. "Thanks," she said, "My name's Amber, by the way." "I'm Snivels," said the young Snivy. He had fallen in love.

Amber quickly explained that her trainer had abandoned her, so she ran away to Berk. During her travels, Amber's flame grew weaker due to the lack of food, water, and rest. Eventually she became too weak to move, and ended up sheltering under one of the houses.

Both Hiccup and Snivels listened to Amber's story and allowed her to join their team. Snivels was especially happy to have a friend...and possibly even more.

* * *

"I can almost smell them," Stoick murmured, staring hard at the map he had with him. "They're close."

He and his small fleet of ships were heading for the foggy region north-west of Berk, where the dragon nest supposedly was. The dense fog never lifted, hiding the dragons' dark secrets. Ever since Vikings had arrived on Berk three hundred years ago, the hidden nest had remained elusive. In his heart, he knew that this trip was to be as futile as the uncountable others.

He steeled his courage and commanded to the pilot of his ship, "Take us in."

The pilot instantly shouted to the other ships, "Hard to port!" All three of the Viking ships sailed straight into the fog, seeming to be swallowed by the murk.

The ship that was last in line was lagging slightly. The pilot became nervous as he saw the sterns of his companion ships vanish. It was too quiet, and his warriors began to mutter to themselves, trying to encourage themselves or otherwise break the uncomfortable silence. Just then, there was a feminine voice speaking quietly, in a ghostly echo. "Leave...Leave this place...And don't ever come back!" Then, there was a loud roar as the shadow of a Monstrous Nightmare became visible in the deep fog.

* * *

**Dun dun dun! Introducing the Ghost of Dragon Island! It won't make an appearance until right after the final battle, and then show its true form. In other words, the identity of the ghost will be revealed at the end. Also, Hiccup and Snivels have a new friend and ally, and for Snivels, something more! Although, in real life, a Snivy and a Charmander can't really be together, it is fanfiction after all! Review, follow, and favorite!**


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Dragon Training Day Two

**If you go back a chapter you'll see that I added information from the Book of Pokémon, as the Vikings call it. But later on, it will be known as the Pokedex, and the very first one too.**

* * *

Hiccup didn't know what to do with Amber, so he allowed her to come to Dragon Training with him the next morning. The walk there wasn't as long as it was the day before, and Hiccup guessed that was because he had another person, or Pokémon, to talk to. Despite his attempts to skip training that day, Snivels was somewhat looking forward to it. "The second day is usually never as bad as the first," he had said. Hiccup just had to figure out whether Snivels was right about it, especially in Dragon Training.

"I appreciate you guys letting me join your team," Amber said as they walked to the training arena. Snivels, who was riding on Hiccup's shoulder, blushed lightly. "It wasn't that much, really," he said. "Actually, it was," Amber said, smiling. Snivels's face turned an even brighter shade of red.

Now Amber was concerned. "Are you okay?" she asked. Snivels's face was even redder than her tail flame. Snivels shrugged, still blushing. "Like I said before," he said, "You're brighter than the sun. And you're very hot too, no pun intended." "So, you like me?" Amber asked. "Very much, yes," Snivels said. Now it was Amber's turn to blush. "That's the sweetest thing that anyone's ever said to me," she said.

And of course, Hiccup had to be in the middle of that conversation. "You do realize that you just told her that you like her, right?" he asked Snivels. "Yes," Snivels said, "I probably didn't tell you this before, but it's officially against my family oath to tell a lie. In other words, I must always tell the truth. And so far, I'm doing it." Hiccup sighed. "Thank you for summing that up."

Amber, who was still blushing, decided to answer to Snivels's compliment. "I like you too, Snivs," she said. Snivels looked at her. "Snivs?" he asked. Amber shrugged. "A nickname for you," she said, smiling. Snivels smiled back at her. "Snivs..." he muttered under his breath. He liked that nickname.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Could you guys talk about that later?" he asked. Snivels shrugged. "We can talk about something else if you want," he said, "We never really talked about what it was like for you before we met. I mean, I assumed that it was tough, not having someone to look to for comfort." Then he smirked. "How'd it go with the ladies?"

Hiccup sighed. "Way to get the mood back on track." "Come on," Snivels teased, "I saw the way you looked at Astrid." Hiccup sighed again. "Snivels, Astrid wouldn't come running to me if she was on fire, and I had the only bucket of water in the entire village." "I bet she would," Snivels said, exchanging a glance with Amber, who was smiling.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and continued walking to the training arena with Snivels on his shoulder, and Amber right beside him.

* * *

"So I just happened to notice that the Dragon Manuel had nothing on Night Furies," Hiccup called sheepishly. "Is there another book? Or a sequel? Maybe a Night Fury pamphlet?"

A second after he said that, a blast of fire and a Flamethrower came out of nowhere and burnt right through the blade of his axe.

"Focus, Hiccup! You're not even trying!" called Gobber from his and Probopass's vantage point beyond the cage covering the top of the arena. Hiccup's eyes bugged in horror as he saw the Deadly Nadder and Flygon climb down from their perch and run at him. Frantically, he tried to outspeed them, twisting and turning randomly through the maze that Gobber had set up, with Snivels and Amber right behind him.

"Today is all about attack!" called Gobber, letting his voice carry to reach everyone's ears. "Nadders and Flygon are quick, and light on their feet. Your job is to be quicker and lighter!"

Fishlegs and Lombre made an unlucky turn down one path, only to find that the Nadder and Flygon were already observing that corridor. With a shriek, the Nadder extended its tail spines and whipped them ferociously at Fishlegs. He only just managed to bring his shield up in time to block the incoming spines. Flygon tried to fire a Flamthrower at them, but Lombre quickly extinguished it with BubbleBeam.

"I'm really beginning to question your teaching methods!" Fishlegs screamed at Gobber.

"Look for its blind spot," Gobber suggested, "Every dragon has one. Find it, hide in it, and strike!"

Ruff, Tuff, and the Nidos all turned a corner to come face-to-maw with the advancing dragon. The Nadder blinked confusedly – as it turned out, directly in front of it was its blind spot. The twins and their Pokémon moved as the dragon's head did, trying to stay in that spot.

Ruff gagged as she caught a whiff of Tuff's body odor. "Do you ever bathe?" she grumbled under her breath, hoping the Nadder wouldn't overhear. "If you don't like it, then get your own blind spot," Tuff snapped, his voice worriedly loud.

"How 'bout I give you one!" yelled Ruff, butting heads with her brother. The noise of their trainers arguing caused Nidorina and Nidorino to start arguing as well. Unfortunately, they forgot about being quiet, and the Nadder spat a stream of blindingly bright fire at the sound of their arguing.

"Blind spot, yes," said Gobber. "Deaf spot… not so much."

Finding himself and his partners beneath Gobber again, Hiccup asked another question. "Okay, so, how would one sneak up on a Night Fury?" Amber gave Snivels a look that said "Please tell me he's not serious." Gobber sighed. "No one's ever seen one and lived to tell the tale. Now get in there!" Hiccup protested, but was interrupted by a forceful whisper. "Hiccup!"

Hiccup turned to see Astrid, Blaze, Magmar and Snotlout (who had a bruise on his face from the rock thrown at him the night before) crouching behind a wall, trying not to attract the attention of the Nadder or the Flygon. They were now quietly stalking down the corridor next to them, trying to listen for its prey. "Get down!" Astrid said in that same whisper. Without argument, Hiccup, Snivels, and Amber slipped in next to Snotlout.

As soon as the dragons had their backs turned, Astrid and Blaze rolled across the path to the next wall. Seeing her success, Snotlout and Magmar followed, also making it across safely.

_Here goes nothing,_ Hiccup thought, bracing himself. He threw himself forward in a similar somersault, and for a fraction of a second, he thought that he had actually made it. But he didn't have enough momentum to make it to the other side, and fell to the ground awkwardly. Snivels and Amber both groaned in disappointment.

The Nadder's head snapped towards them and it instantly pounced. Hiccup scrambled to his feet and ran, past Astrid, Blaze, Magmar, and Snotlout who were bravely confronting the enraged dragon. Amber and Snivels stayed behind to stall the Flygon, how so Hiccup had no idea.

Hiccup hid behind the two teens and their partners, trying to catch his breath. He saw Astrid start to throw her axe. But Snotlout stupidly intervened on one of his tangents again, fruitlessly hoping to impress Astrid. "Watch out, babe. I'll take care of this," he said confidently.

Chucking his weapon at the Nadder, which was staring at him in confusion, The weapon twirl through the air and missed by a mile, thumping against a wall as it did so. The Nadder tore its eyes off of the moving object and warbled.

It comically sounded like the dragon was laughing at Snotlout. Snotlout began to protest at Astrid's annoyed expression.

"The sun was in my eyes, Astrid. You want me to block out the sun? I could but I don't have the time to do it."

The Nadder finished laughing and went for Astrid and Blaze, seeing them as the bigger threat since Astrid still had a weapon. They both ducked into another corridor and the dragon slammed into the wall before recovering and continuing the chase. It was more and more frenzied as it continued to fail to catch its prey. It slammed into walls and jumping heavily up on them, the force of the blows toppling the maze walls like dominoes.

Not paying attention to the chaos, Hiccup proceeded to ask Gobber a question. However, he was interrupted by the sounds of the walls collapsing. Turning around, he noticed Astrid, Blaze, and the Nadder all trying to get over one of the walls. The dragon snapped at their heels, and Blaze leaped off the wall and landed off somewhere. It was then the wall that Astrid was standing on began to fall over, the weight of the Nadder pushing it down. There was very little time to react as Astrid jumped off of the wall, screaming Hiccup's name.

It took a minute for the dust to clear, and when it did, Hiccup realized that Astrid was on top of him, trying to detangle herself from him. The twins caught sight of their current situation. "Ooh, love on the battlefield!" Tuffnut teased. Ruffnut scoffed, "She could do better."

Astrid finally managed to untangle herself and stand up. Hiccup sat up, only to see the Nadder free itself from under a pile of downed walls. He prepared to run, only to feel Astrid's boot in his face as she pulled on her axe, which was stuck in his shield. She pried the shield off, and as the Nadder charged at her, she whacked it right in the snout, shattering the wood of the shield. The Nadder dazedly stumbled off, before slumping to the ground in an unconscious heap on the ground a few meters away.

It was at that time that Snivels and Amber appeared out of what was left of the maze with the Flygon behind them. They'd managed to calm it down, and help it realize that they weren't a threat. The second that the Flygon saw the unconscious Nadder, it glided over to it. Just then, Blaze appeared out of nowhere and hit the Flygon with Sky Uppercut. The Flygon was immediately knocked backwards, skidding across the stone floor of the arena. Blaze then took a deep breath and unleashed a Flamethrower. It would have killed the Flygon for sure, if Amber hadn't rushed in and deflected it. Once the flames faded away, Amber stood there, unscathed. "_Char! Charmander! Char!_" Amber said in Pokémon language, which translated to, "_What are you doing?_"

Blaze seemed to shrug. "_As much as I know that the dragons aren't as evil as they seem,_" she said, "_I have to do what my trainer expects me to, and as much as I want to talk to her, I can't._" "_Why not?_" Amber asked. Before Blaze could answer, Astrid turned to Hiccup and glared at him.

"Is this some kind of a joke to you?!" she screeched almost as loud as the Nadder. "Our parent's war is about to be come ours. Figure out which side you're on." Hiccup just lay there, listening. The only problem was, it was hard for him to figure out what side he was on. Astrid walked off, motioning for Blaze to follow. Blaze gave Amber a look that said "That's why."

Snivels saw everything that had happened. He turned to look at Hiccup. "A reminder to everyone," Snivels said, shaking his head, "Don't ever make Astrid angry. You wouldn't like her when she's angry."

Hearing what Snivels said, Astrid turned to look at the young Snivy. Snivels gulped nervously. But Astrid just scoffed and walked off, with Blaze behind her. Amber suddenly appeared next to Snivels. "Was the first day worse than this?" she asked. "Unfortunately, no," Snivels said. "Oh, so now we've got _two_ talking Pokémon freaks?" came a voice. Both Snivels and Amber turned to see Snotlout and the twins with their Pokémon. "I'd be careful about what you say there," Snivels said. Amber nodded. "We don't wanna hurt you." Snotlout scoffed. "Like you two could do anything to us." He looked at the twins, who both nodded.

Snotlout pointed at Amber and Snivels. "Get them, Magmar!" Magmar lunged at them, his fist covered in flames. Amber and Snivels jumped to the side, dodging Magmar's Fire Punch. Nidorino and Nidorina then charged, each of them chosing a target. Nidorino charged at Snivels, who jumped onto his back and used Vine Whip to hold on to Nidorino's horn. Nidorina charged at Amber, who took a deep breath and unleashed a powerful blast of fire. A Flamethrower. Engulfed in the flames, Nidorina screeched in pain. When the flames subsided, Nidorina collapsed to the ground, no longer able to battle.

As Nidorino tried to get him off, Snivels tried to think of a plan. Then he had an idea. He stretched out his tail, the leaf on the end starting to glow a green-ish yellow. Snivels then swung his tail and hit Nidorino with the glowing leaf, causing a huge amount of damage. It was a Leaf Blade. Taking a direct hit, Nidorino couldn't take it anymore. He collapsed to the ground, unable to continue the battle.

Snivels ran up next to Amber. They both smiled at their work. But then, a shadow engulfed them and they both looked up to see Magmar glaring down at them. Snivels looked at Amber, who nodded. They both joined hands, ready to battle together. Magmar tightened his fist, getting ready to unleash a Fire Punch. Amber and Snivels both dodged at the last second. Amber let go of Snivels and charged up, releasing a blast of blue energy. Dragon Rage. The attack hit Magmar on the head, causing to reel around in pain. It didn't take long for him to regain his posture, though.

But Amber still had a trick up her sleeve. She winked, and pink hearts appeared and surrounded Magmar. Magmar watched the hearts as the spun around him. Just then, the hearts moved away for a second before making contact with Magmar. Magmar glowed pink for a second before his eyes became hearts, and he stopped attacking.

Snotlout was confused. "What's going on with Magmar?" "It looks like that he's been hit by Charmander's Attract," Fishlegs said. Snotlout looked at Fishlegs. "Attract," he repeated, "It's a move in which Pokémon of the opposite gender fall in love with the user. They're pretty much unable to attack while they're like that."

True to Fishlegs's word, Magmar was unable to move, let alone launch an attack. He was infatuated by Amber's Attract. Snivels looked at Amber. "Time for a Fusion Move," he said. Amber nodded in agreement.

Snivels glared at Magmar, before balancing on his head and spinning around. As he did so, a big green tornado of leaves seemed to sprout out of his tail, spinning with him. It was a Leaf Tornado. Amber then used Flamethrower on the Leaf Tornado, causing it to be engulfed in flames. But the attack didn't stop. Snivels kept it spinning, and then directed the attack at Magmar. The Flame Tornado engulfed the infatuated Pokémon, causing unimaginable amounts of damage. With an extra burst of energy, Snivels sent the Flame Tornado crashing into the ground, destroying it.

When the smoke cleared, Magmar was lying on the ground motionless, unable to battle. Amber and Snivels had done it. They had defeated Pokémon that were stronger than them. Snotlout and the twins were stunned. They couldn't believe that they had lost.

At that moment, Gobber walked in with Probopass hovering behind him. "That's enough," he said. He looked at Snotlout and the twins. "Take your Pokémon to be healed." The teens immediately scooped up their exhausted Pokémon and left for the healer's. Gobber than approached Snivels and Amber. "In all of my years of training Pokémon and fighting dragons," he said, "I've never seen anything like that." Snivels and Amber cast their eyes down, thinking that Gobber was mad at them for attacking the others. But Gobber smiled. "You both battled very well," he said.

Snivels and Amber were stunned. "I'm sure with the kind of powers you both have, you'll do extremely well in battle," Gobber continued, "You might actually be able to learn a thing or two." He walked off, passing Hiccup, who was still lying on the ground, unable to shake off the memory of what had just happened to the other teens' Pokemon. Snivels and Amber had fought in a battle and won. They actually _won_. Shaking himself back to reality, Hiccup stood up and made his way to the exit. Snivels jumped up on his shoulder, and Amber followed them.

No one noticed Astrid and Blaze above the arena. They had seen the entire battle. As much as Astrid wouldn't admit it, she was actually impressed. Snivels and Amber were actually a lot stronger than any of them had anticipated. _But no one is stronger than me and Blaze,_ Astrid said in her thoughts as she and her partner watched the three friends leave the arena.

* * *

**Quick review. Snivels is able to use Tackle, Vine Whip, Leaf Blade, and Leaf Tornado. Amber is able to use only three moves so far, Attract, Flamethrower, and Dragon Rage. Blaze's known moves are Flamethrower and Sky Uppercut. Magmar's only known move is Fire Punch. Lombre's only known move is BubbleBeam. Neither of Nidorino or Nidorina's moves are known yet. And a Fusion Move, you might have guessed, is two or more attacks fused together. For example, Flamethrower+Leaf Tornado=Flame Tornado. And part of the beginning of the chapter is a refernce to the How to Train Your Dragon deleted scene 'An Axe to Grind.' Review, follow, or favorite, and wait for the next update! And what do you guys think of Snivels's new nickname?**


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Meeting the Night Fury

**Despite the name, we won't just be meeting the Night Fury in this chapter. Also, I gotta say that video that KAOSmaster mentioned was actually a bit of a spoiler for the movie. I can't wait for the second movie to come out!**

* * *

It was in the late afternoon, or some call it the prevening, when Hiccup arrived at the cove with Snivels and Amber. While the two Pokémon calmly walked into the clearing, Hiccup stayed in between two big rocks at the other end of the cove, hiding behind a shield. He lowered the shield and peeked out. He looked at his friends for a second before glancing around, obviously looking for the Night Fury. He lowered the shield a little more and tossed out a fish that he had been holding.

Still, there was no sign of the dragon. As Hiccup tried to move out further, the shield got stuck in between the rocks. He ducked under it and tried to pull it out on the other side, but with no success.

Abandoning the shield, Hiccup picked up the fish by the gills and moved around cautiously. The Night Fury watched him from an outcropping of rock, right behind the frightened Viking. When Hiccup turned to the Pokémon again, Snivels pointed in the direction of the Night Fury. Hiccup slowly turned around and found himself face-to-snout with the scrawny dragon.

The Night Fury slowly moved down from the rock and sniffed, picking up the scent of the fish. Hiccup awkwardly held out the fish and the dragon moved forward, opening his mouth and getting ready to eat it, when it suddenly growled and moved back. Amber and Snivels jumped back, startled.

Realizing why the Night Fury was growling, Hiccup looked at his dagger, which he had slipped into his belt for safekeeping. He moved his hand toward the handle of the dagger and the Night Fury growled louder. Gulping nervously, Hiccup grabbed his dagger with is thumb and index finger and cautiously dropped it on the ground next to him. The dragon still wasn't convinced. Hiccup then balanced the dagger on his foot and threw it into the lake, where it landed with a small splash.

The dragon glanced at where the dagger had landed and then looked at Hiccup, its pupils wide with confusion. It looked almost cute. Hiccup held out the fish once again, and the Night Fury walked up to him and opened his mouth wide, revealing the entire inside of his mouth. The dragon didn't seem to have any teeth at all.

Hiccup was confused. "Toothless? I could have sworn you had…" but before he could finish, the Night Fury's retractable teeth popped out of its gums and it snatched the fish out of Hiccup's hands, gobbling it down in hunger. The Night Fury looked at Hiccup and licked its lips, thankful for the fish Hiccup had given him. "…Teeth." Hiccup finished quietly.

Just then, the Night Fury moved toward Hiccup, seemingly looking for more fish. The Night Fury was forcing Hiccup back in fear. "Uh, no, no, no," he stuttered, falling onto his rear and frantically backing up against a rock. The dragon moved ever closer, nose almost touching him. Then Hiccup fearfully whispered, "I don't have any more!"

This statement seemed to stop the Night Fury and it half-closed its eyes, working its throat as it fought to eject some of its recent snack. After a moment, it spat out the tail of the fish into the boy's lap. Hiccup groaned quietly in disgust.

The Night Fury retreated, sitting on its hind legs, waiting to see if Hiccup would eat the fish. When he didn't, it gestured to the fish, hoping Hiccup would get the idea. Hiccup looked at the fish and then back at the dragon, now fully aware of what it wanted him to do. He hesitantly took a bite out of the raw fish. Oddly, the Night Fury was pleased to see him enjoy it. Amber and Snivels cringed, not believing that Hiccup was actually eating the fish.

The Night Fury continued to look at Hiccup, wondering why he wasn't swallowing the fish. The Night Fury swallowed, hoping Hiccup would get the idea. Hiccup groaned, unable to believe what the dragon wanted him to do. Snivels and Amber exchanged looks of disgust as Hiccup hesitantly swallowed the fish. Hiccup shuddered and looked at the dragon, who seemed happy that Hiccup had "enjoyed" the fish. Hiccup smiled at the dragon to show his appreciation. As we all watched, the dragon slowly smiled back, revealing that he had retracted his teeth.

Hiccup set the fish down on the ground and reached out to pet the dragon. The dragon instantly stopped smiling and growled before heading off to another part of the cove. The dragon stopped and shot a stream of blue fire onto the ground, moving in a circle while doing so. The ground was instantly scorched into a make-shift nest for the Night Fury to rest on. As the Night Fury lay down, it took one last look around to see that Hiccup had followed it and was sitting next to it.

The Night Fury glared at the young Viking before shifting his position and fanning his tail fin in front of his face so that he didn't have to look at Hiccup. Not taking the hint, Hiccup moved closer and was about to pet the dragon when it removed its tail to look at him. Hiccup quickly retreated and walked off, leaving the dragon alone.

Apparently, the Night Fury wasn't comfortable sleeping on the ground, at least for now, because when we looked back again he was hanging upside down from a tree branch like a giant bat.

Snivels watched as Hiccup went to sit on a rock by the lake in the middle of the cove. The young Snivy shrugged. "Well, that wasn't so bad." Just then, the dagger that Hiccup had thrown into the lake landed beside him. Snivels looked out to see nothing but the lake and foliage in the cove. He picked up the dagger ad threw it back out into the lake, further than Hiccup had. He and Amber turned around and started to walk away, when something hard hit him in the back of the head. "Ow!" He turned and looked down to see the dagger lying in front of him. "Excuse me," said a voice, "But I think you dropped that."

Snivels looked around to see a strange blue Water Pokémon down by the shore of the lake. A Salatad. Clearly, this was the creature that had thrown the dagger out of the water. Snivels gave the Salatad a small wave. "Hi." The Salatad smiled at him. "Hi," he said. Snivels noticed that the Salatad's voice sounded weird. He pointed at the dagger. "Did you throw that at me?" he asked. The Salatad shrugged. "It fell in the lake, and I wanted to give it back," he said, "I didn't mean to hit you with it." "That's okay," Snivels said, "But we didn't really need it back anyway. I'm Snivels. Do you have a name?"

The Salatad walked behind a rock and pulled out a bag of strange food. They looked like small overcooked pieces of bread. The Salatad set the bag down in front of Snivels. "Try one," he said. Snivels picked up one of the round, flat foods and looked at it. It didn't look like something that the other Vikings ate, and it certainly didn't look like any kind of Pokémon treat that he had seen before. He took a small bite out of it, only to have himself stuff it in his mouth a second later. "This is really good," he said over a mouthful of food, "What are they?"

The Salatad smiled. "They're called crackers," he said, "Because they make a cracking sound when you bite them." To prove his point, he grabbed a cracker and bit into it. "Do you like them?" Snivels asked. "No," said the Salatad, "I love them. They're my favorite food in the world! In fact, I named myself after them." Now Snivels was confused. "What do you mean?" The Salatad stuffed the rest of the cracker in his mouth and swallowed it. "My name is Crackers," he said. Snivels nodded. "Where did you get those treats anyway?" he asked.

"They're a special treat where I come from," Crackers said, "I liked to eat them, but my trainer wouldn't let me. He was a mean trainer, he didn't treat me well." "You mean that you were abused?" Snivels asked. Crackers nodded. "I couldn't take it, so I ran away. But not before grabbing my favorite treats," he gestured to the bag of crackers, "And I eventually ended up here on Berk, and I found the cove and started living here."

Snivels listened as Crackers talked about how he got to Berk. The poor little Pokémon had been abused. Crackers turned around to show large bruises on his back. Snivels winced. "I'm guessing that those aren't birthmarks," he said. Crackers shook his head sadly. Now Snivels felt sorry for Crackers. "You could stay with us if you wanted," he said.

Crackers turned to look at Snivels. "You would let me stay?" he asked. "I'm sure that Hiccup would let you stay," Snivels said, "He seems to have a soft spot for abandoned and abused Pokémon. You're welcome here with us anytime." Crackers smiled at his new friend. He would do anything to be able to stay with them.

Hiccup heard everything that had been going on, and he'd admit that he did feel sorry for Crackers. Then he heard Snivels say that Crackers could stay with them. Of course, Hiccup would allow that, but he wasn't sure what the others would think if they saw him with three Pokémon instead of one. He turned away and found a long stick sitting next to him. With nothing better to do, he began to draw in the dirt.

Unconsciously, he was drawing the Night Fury. It was the first time he had attempted such a thing – having seen him for the first time only a few days ago – but it looked pretty good.

As Hiccup sketched in the eyes, he saw a shadow fall over him. Instinctively, he knew it was the Night Fury, but he nervously pretended that he hadn't noticed. The noises the dragon was making as it stood over him sounded friendly, curious, and somewhat comical. Then he was gone, and a huge snapping sound occurred, followed by rustling noises. Hiccup looked up to see what the commotion was, and what he saw astounded him yet again.

The dragon had a huge tree almost as long as he was in his mouth, and was proceeding to drag it along in the dirt. Hiccup didn't know what the dragon was doing, but it certainly looked like he was having fun. He was making all these twists and turns with the tree in the dirt, hitting Hiccup in the head with the leafy end a couple of times.

He glanced at Hiccup once, an eager look in his eyes. "What do you think?" he seemed to ask. Hiccup stood up to get a better look, and the truth hit him: the Night Fury was imitating him yet again, but this time, he was imitating him with the drawing stick! He was drawing in the dirt.

Finally, the dragon stopped, seemingly satisfied with his work. Hiccup could only stand there, gawking in wonder at the strange, squiggly line the dragon had drawn in the dirt all. Was there anything that he could discover about this dragon that wouldn't shock him?

He got up, planning to get a better look at the "drawing." But suddenly, he heard a harsh growl from the Night Fury. He automatically looked down where the dragon was glaring, and saw that he had stepped on one of the lines in his "drawing". He lifted his foot, and the growl changed to a low warble.

A few more times, Hiccup intentionally stepped on the drawing, just to make sure that this wasn't a coincidence. When he was sure, he stepped over the line this time, and the dragon didn't growl. Instead, the dragon seemed pleased that he was catching on.

The sun was setting, so Hiccup knew that they had been gone for several hours already. They needed to get back to the village, so he started moving around the tangled lines, taking extra care as to not step on anything.

He kind of lost track of what he was doing, because he was...lost in the little dance he was doing. Twisting and turning with each step, avoiding the lines, he found it surprisingly fun. He smiled to himself as he continued to step around the drawing, wishing that this rare moment of fun wouldn't end.

Suddenly, he stopped. He felt a presence behind him, and a soft snort came from above him, ruffling his hair. He turned and found himself face-to-face with the Night Fury. He looked into the dragon's eyes, and they seemed...peaceful. As if he no longer considered him a threat. As if he trusted him.

Hiccup reached out with his hand again, more cautiously this time. Narrowing his eyes, the dragon growled softly, warning him not to go any closer. But something told him to go on. He knew that they could trust each other now. So Hiccup only drew his hand back a little bit, looking at the ground. He reached out again, stopping when he had stretched his arm out as far as it would go.

He waited. He could feel the warm breath of the Night Fury as he remained stationary. He could only imagine what the dragon was thinking.

Then, ever so slowly, the dragon pressed his head against Hiccup's hand. He let out a soft sob, ducking his head even more. The dragon's head felt warm, dry, and smooth. The scales felt almost leathery, and nothing what he had expected them to feel like.

The dragon pulled back and ran off to another part of the cove. Hiccup's eyes followed the dragon as it left.

* * *

It was nighttime again. The four friends had quickly returned to the village practically the moment the sun had set, and had run into Gobber and Probopass at the forge. He told them that the Dragon Training gang was going to be camping at the top of one of the abandoned catapults, so they had no choice but to go along with them.

It wasn't like they even noticed the jeers and teasing remarks from the other trainees. All that Hiccup could think about was the Night Fury and how they had finally come to trust each other. Luckily, no one seemed to notice his withdrawn silence, or at least become suspicious of it.

"…And with one twist, he took my hand, and swallowed it whole!" Gobber said dramatically, in the middle of telling one of his war stories. "I saw the look on his face – I was delicious! He must have passed the word, 'cause it wasn't a month before another one of them took my leg!"

He held up his peg leg for all the teenagers to see. Probopass just rolled its eyes. He still hadn't gotten used to his trainer constantly exaggerating his stories. Of them, only Fishlegs and Lombre looked partially impressed.

"Wasn't it weird to think of your hand was inside a dragon?" inquired Fishlegs curiously. "Like, if your mind was still in control of it, you could have killed the dragon from the inside by crushing its heart or something." All he got were a mix of blank and exasperated stares.

"I swear, I'm so angry right now!" growled Snotlout, glaring at his burnt chicken as if he hated it. Clearly, he was still fuming over his and Magmar's embarrassing failures in the arena earlier today. "I'll avenge your beautiful hand, and your beautiful foot! I'll chop up the legs of every dragon I fight… with my face."

"It's the wings and the tails you really want," corrected Gobber, "If it can't fly, it can't get away." he twisted a wing off of his own chicken and waved it around for emphasis. "A downed dragon… is a dead dragon."

There was silence after that. The statement echoed in Hiccup's mind, and the image that instantly appeared was that of the Night Fury, unable to fly and doomed to remain trapped in the gorge. He definitely wouldn't be able to keep him a secret forever, and anyway, they trusted each other now. That meant that they could help each other – didn't it? He was struck out of his thoughts by a voice calling, "Hey guys!"

Everyone turned to see Snivels, who was tied around a post, a thick rope wrapped around him, almost covering him completely except for his head and tail. Snivels squirmed under his restraint. "Ain't you ever gonna stop stuffing your faces and get me something to eat?" he asked. "Are you sorry for everything you did and said to us?" Snotlout mocked. He, the twins, and their Pokémon had tied Snivels to the post to try and "teach him a lesson," as they called it. But Hiccup knew that the real reason they had done that was because they hated Snivels as much as they hated him.

Snivels stopped squirming and looked away. "I don't apologize!" he shouted. Although Snivels was usually very polite, there was no way in a million years he would apologize to selfish people like the bullies. Snotlout shrugged. "Then no food for Snivels!" he said, pulling a leg off of his chicken and taking a savage bite out of it.

Snivels then began to squirm again. "Stop making fun of me! Untie me and get me something to eat!" he shouted. Just then, the ropes around Snivels loosened up. Snivels turned to see Amber and Crackers both standing on top of two barrels, untying him from the post. Snivels leapt on top of the barrels as soon as he was able to squirm out of the ropes. The three Pokémon then carefully climbed down and all went to sit next to their trainer.

Magmar and the Nidos glared at the three Pokémon. Amber just winked, and three sets of pink hearts appeared and surrounded her three rivals. Magmar and Nidorino were easily infatuated by Amber attract, but when the hearts made contact with Nidorina, she just snorted and held her nose in the air, clearly a sign of rejection.

The teens all noticed this. "Wait," Fishlegs said, "Charmander's a _girl_?" Everyone stared at him. Obviously Fishlegs had thought that Amber was a boy Charmander.

Amber scoffed. "How rude. Do I look like a boy? I'll just pretend I didn't hear that." She folded her arms across her chest and held her nose in the air.

Gobber shook his head while Probopass rolled his eyes. "Alright, we're off to bed," Gobber yawned, "You should be too! Tomorrow we get to the big boys – slowly but surely making our way up to the Monstrous Nightmare and the Salamence. But who will win the honor of killing them?"

Hiccup and his friends didn't stay behind long enough to hear the rest of what was going on. And they didn't notice Astrid and Blaze looking down curiously at their retreating figures.

* * *

Down at the forge, Hiccup pulled out his drawing of the Night Fury. He noticed the spot where he had erased the missing tailfin. He redrew it, confident on what he was about to do next.

He and Snivels both worked the air pump, Snivels holding onto it with Vine Whip, to keep to coals hot. If they got too cool, Amber used Flamethrower to heat them up again. When a certain object needed cooling, Hiccup turned to Crackers, who cooled it down using Water Gun. On some occasions, when Water Gun wasn't strong enough to douse the flames, Crackers would use Water Pulse instead.

Then came the constructing. Snivels used Vine Whip to help keep certain objects in place while Hiccup tightened them. Amber stood by and watched, unless she was needed to help Hiccup with the constructing. When a certain object continuously popped out of place, Crackers would hammer it in with his tail, using Pound.

Just before sunrise, all of their hard work had finally paid off. They had built an artificial tailfin for the Night Fury, which was designed to fold up as well as work the way a real tailfin would. Now to see whether or not it would work.

* * *

**A new Pokémon, a new friend, and a good example of teamwork in the forge. I honestly feel sorry for Crackers since he was abused, but who wouldn't? For any additional information, you can try and visit my profile. And yes, Fishlegs thought that Amber was a guy. I got that from the Pokepark 2 video game. Review, follow, or favorite!**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Dragon Training Day Three

**Again, a good example of teamwork in the forge last chapter, and that'll help with how they battle together. The bullies and their Pokémon officially hate Snivels, and now it's time for some bonding.**

* * *

Hiccup and his friends hadn't gotten a single bit of sleep since they had started working on the tailfin. But with everything that they had done that night in good condition and ready to be tested, it was worth it.

They made their way into the cove, the Pokémon going first due to being smaller and relatively stealthier. As they passed by a patch of tall grass, Crackers could've sworn that he heard a light rustling. He turned to look around, but saw nothing. He shrugged and kept walking.

Hiccup then climbed down into the cove, a basket of fish swung over his shoulder, and cautiously approached the Night Fury, who was basking in the sunlight like and overgrown lizard. He passed by the patch of grass that had rustled earlier, but nothing happened. His eyes were entirely focused on the dragon, who soon became aware of his presence.

"Hey, Toothless," he said, a hint of nervousness in his voice. Snivels, Amber, and Crackers were surprised by the dragon's new nickname. But, it fit him.

Hiccup set the basket of fish down on the ground. "I brought breakfast, I hope...I hope you're hungry." He pushed the basket down with his foot. The basket fell open and at least twenty fish slid out with a slippery splat. "Okay, that's disgusting." The looks on his friends went with his statement. Hiccup and the dragon, Toothless, looked over the types of fish that had been dumped out of the basket. "So we've got some salmon… some nice Icelandic cod… and a whole smoked eel!"

Toothless searched through the pile of fish, but drew back and growled when he heard Hiccup mention the eel. Hiccup reached into the pile of fish and pulled out a black and yellow striped eel, holding it up in front of Toothless. Toothless reared up onto his hind legs at the sight of the eel and roared in disgust and terror. Somewhat shocked that such a mighty beast would be scared of something as small as an eel, Hiccup exclaimed, "No, no, no! It's okay!" He threw the eel aside and wiped his hands on his vest. "I don't really like eel much either." Snivels and his friends were watching, and they were quite impressed by Hiccup and Toothless's progress.

Now convinced that he was safe, Toothless once again began nosing the pile of fish. "That's it…" Hiccup murmured under his breath, sneaking around to Toothless's tail. "Just stick with the good stuff… and don't mind me… I'll just be back here, minding my own business..."

Hiccup set the tail fin down on the ground beside him and went to grab Toothless's tail. However, it moved out of the way suddenly. Nervously, Hiccup glanced back up at Toothless – he was still eating, already half-done the pile of fish, totally oblivious as to what he was doing.

But when Hiccup went back to the dragon's tail, it kept moving every time he tried to grab it. Once, it suddenly flicked up from the ground, startling Hiccup and causing him to become frustrated. He climbed over the tail and sat on it, futilely trying to keep it still. Toothless suddenly lunged forward, dragging Hiccup forward a couple of inches. Seeing that Hiccup needed help, Snivels rushed over to help him hold the tail and the prosthetic in place.

Grumbling under his breath, Hiccup started the work of attaching the prosthetic to Toothless' tail. Snivels held the tailfin close to the dragon's tail, and once Hiccup had it in the right position, he began to tighten it. Thankfully, the dragon stayed relatively still as they worked. They both heard a growl emerge from Toothless's throat, so they knew that he had definitely noticed them by now. But for reasons of his own, reasons that they probably wouldn't be able to comprehend, he let them proceed.

After about a minute's worth of work, Hiccup and Snivels had securely tied the tail fin to Toothless's tail. Hiccup sat back up to admire their work, Snivels sitting in front of him. "There we go," Hiccup muttered. "It's not too bad, it works…" Neither of them heard the sound of unfolding wings until it was too late. "Guys, hold on!" Amber called.

With Toothless' tail properly weighted again, he felt fit enough to fly again. With a mighty pounce, he leapt into the air with strong beats of his wings. Needless to say, Both Hiccup and Snivels were taken completely by surprise by this maneuver.

The tail bobbed up and down violently – whether or not it was because of the added weight, they couldn't tell – but nevertheless, it was getting really hard to hold onto their breakfasts, especially for Snivels, who was afraid of heights.

Judging from the height they had risen, Hiccup guessed that they were almost to the lip of the gorge. But right then, Toothless began to fall with a strangled roar, flailing his claws and flapping his wings frantically. Hiccup quickly turned his attention to the tail, and saw that it was closed.

He and Snivels both reached for it, and pulled it completely open.

Toothless suddenly swerved straight upwards, and Snivels felt dizzy from the sudden change in direction. He let go of the tailfin and held on to Toothless's tail for dear life as they flew higher.

At the speed Toothless was going, the trio had risen out of the gorge and high into the sky in only a few moments. As they gained an impressive bird's eye view of the woods, Hiccup exclaimed in jubilation, "Oh my – it's working!" He pulled hard on the tail fin once more, causing Toothless to make a hard right turn and down, back into the gorge.

As they skimmed the surface of the pool, Hiccup was unable to describe the feeling he was getting. It was a mix of joy and pure terror, but it felt great. "Yes! Yes! I did it!" he said, unable to contain his newfound emotion.

It was at that moment that Toothless swiveled his head to look at Hiccup and Snivels hanging for dear life onto his tail. The dragon suddenly carved a violent turn in the air and flung both human and Pokémon off.

The water rushed to greet Hiccup and Snivels. Hiccup hit the surface with an enormous splash, grabbing a quick breath before he became completely submerged. Snivels was able to change his posture and dive into the water with barely a splash, and then swim back up to the surface.

Hiccup and Snivels rose to the surface just in time to see Toothless' new fin return to its folded-up position, and Toothless himself involuntarily dive sharply for the water. They saw the annoyed and confused look he gave his tail, wondering why it was suddenly defective again.

The two friends ducked their heads under the water to avoid the rainstorm that occurred as Toothless' splash flung what seemed like half the lake into the air.

They were wet, sore, and tired (after all, it was still early in the morning). But Hiccup was feeling great! One of his inventions had finally worked, he was friends with a dragon, and to top it off, he had just experienced his first flight!

"Yeah!" he cheered, hopping up above the surface with his hands in the air. Snivels just shrugged and swam over to the shore to dry off.

Crackers and Amber had both witnessed the events that had occurred, and they were both glad to see that their friends were okay. Crackers suddenly heard a faint rustling noise, similar to the one he had heard before. He walked over to the patch of tall grass that they had all passed earlier, and waited for something to happen. Nothing. He sat down and remained quiet. The grass suddenly rustled again. There was something in there.

"You don't have to be afraid," Crackers said in his sub-squeaky voice, "Come on out. Nobody is going to hurt you." A quiet, girl's voice called out, "Are you sure?" It was a very high-pitched voice, coming from a girl of a very young age. Crackers nodded. "Sure I'm sure, come on!" he said encouragingly.

Soon, a pair of big red eyes appeared. Then a light blue figure, walking on all fours, with a green bulb on its back, appeared and walked out of the grass. It was a young Bulbasaur. "You're a Salatad, aren't you?" the Bulbasaur asked. Crackers nodded. "I'm Crackers," he said, "What is your name?" The Bulbasaur smiled and said, "My name is Venus."

Crackers repeated what the Bulbasaur had said to him. "Venus..." he said, "I really like that name, it's very pretty." "Really?" Venus asked. Crackers nodded, a big smile on his face. Venus blushed. "Thanks," she said. Crackers blushed as well. They had both fallen in love.

Amber soon noticed Crackers and his new friend, and pointed them out to Snivels and Hiccup. "Looks like we've got ourselves a new friend," Hiccup said with a smile. His smile soon faded. "Now to deal with dragon training." Snivels turned to look at his trainer, a smile on his face. "I think I have an idea about how we can win this one," he said.

* * *

Hiccup stood with the pail of water in his hands beside Fishlegs and Lombre. Gobber had separated them into groups for their next Dragon Training lesson. The teens all carried pails full of water. However, Hiccup was the only one struggling to maintain his grip on it. Snivels, Amber, Crackers, and Venus were all standing beside him, ready for the upcoming lesson.

"Today is about teamwork!" Gobber called, unlocking the cage door. A cataclysmic explosion blew the doors open and filled the arena with ever-advancing smoke. "Now, a wet dragon head can't light its fire," Gobber said as he and Probopass watched from the side, "The Hideous Zippleback is extra tricky! One head breathes gas, and the other head lights it. And the Zweilous is responsible for protecting both of the heads. Your job is to know which head is which!"

"Razor-sharp serrated teeth that inject venom for pre-digestion," Fishlegs recited under his breath. "The Zweilous prefers ambush attacks, knocking down their victims..." "Will you please stop that?!" Hiccup whispered, annoyed with Fishlegs's rambling.

In another part of the smokey arena, Snotlout boasted to his partner, Tuffnut, "If that dragon shows either of its faces, I'm gonna..." He suddenly noticed a shadowy figure that looked a lot like a dragon preparing to strike. "There!"

They both dumped their buckets of water on the figure, which revealed to be Ruffnut, Nidorina, Astrid, and Blaze. "Hey!" Ruffnut exclaimed indignantly. "It's us, you idiots!"

Tuffnut sneered, "Your butts are getting bigger. We thought you were the dragon!" Snotlout tried to make things up with a casual, "Not that there's anything wrong with a dragon-esque figure..." He was cut off by Astrid walking up to him and punching him in the face. Blaze shot a small Flamethrower at Magmar, who was standing nearby. Nidorina tackled Nidorino as Ruffnut threw her bucket of water at Tuffnut, hitting him in the head. The impact caused all of the water to dump out of the bucket.

But just then, a furious hiss broke through the arguing voices. Tuffnut yelped in pain as something dragged him into the smoke. Ruffnut started to advance, but Astrid held her back. "Wait..." There was a growling noise, and a dragon's tail came out of nowhere and tripped the two girls and Blaze. The water in Astrid's bucket dumped onto the floor, and Tuffnut came out of nowhere and stumbled over his sister. "Ow, I'm hurt! I am _very_ much hurt!" he screamed, throwing himself behind Gobber.

Fishlegs, unhelpfully, muttered, "Chances of survival are dwindling to single digits now…" Heavy footsteps cut off his muttering, and Hiccup and Fishlegs raised their buckets, tense with anticipation.

One of the Zippleback's heads broke through the still-prominent screen of smoke right in front of them, twisting and turning as it focused its attention on Fishlegs. It drew worryingly close to his own head, causing him to panic and toss his bucketful of water on it. The Zippleback's eyes narrowed and gas gurgled out from its maw. "Oh" Fishlegs chuckled nervously. "Wrong head."

With a terrifying shriek, the Zippleback shot a stream of gas right in his face. Fishlegs screamed and ran in the opposite direction, with Lombre right behind him, fending off the Zippleback head with Bullet Seed.

It was now up to Hiccup. The smoke vanished completely, and he now had a clear view of the entire dragon. Both heads stared down at him, with the left head emitting several sparks threateningly.

"Now, Hiccup!" Gobber called, and Hiccup threw the water at the sparking head with all his might. However, a blue shield appeared in front of the Zippleback's head, deflecting the water. The teens all turned to see Zweilous doing its duty, protecting the Zippleback heads. "Oh come on," Hiccup said exasperatedly.

The Zippleback advanced, no longer holding back. Both heads glowered down upon Hiccup, one head with wisps of gas still trailing from it, and the other shooting sparks at him, leaving little doubt what it was about to do. Snivels, Amber, Crackers, and Venus rushed over to the Zweilous and tried to keep it from doing anything to threaten anyone. In Pokémon language, they told the Zweilous that Hiccup wasn't going to hurt the Zippleback, and that he should go back into the cage. The Zweilous was confused, but he did as he was told.

Just then, there was a shriek, and Zweilous turned to see the Zippleback backing down from Hiccup.

"Back… back… back!" Hiccup commanded again and again. With each order, the dragon retreated, taking hasty steps backwards, away from him. "Don't make me tell you again!" Hiccup told it boldly.

As the dragon hurriedly ran and hid in the shadows that occupied its cage, Hiccup said triumphantly, "Yes, back – back into your cage! Now… think about what you've done."

He pulled his vest back to reveal… none other than the eel that he had accidentally scared Toothless with that morning. Hiccup threw the dead serpent into the Zippleback's cage, and the dragon drew back even further, back legs going up the wall as it tried to avoid its slimy adversary. The Zweilous began talking to the dragon, trying to calm it down. Hiccup began to shut the doors, secretly promising to come back later and remove the eel.

Hiccup pushed the cage doors closed and locked them, his friends rejoining him. Turning around, they saw the other trainees' faces. Each and every one had the same dumbfounded expression on it. Even Gobber and Probopass looked completely bewildered.

"So, are we done?" Hiccup asked as if they had all just finished a pleasant discussion. "'Cause we've got some things we need to...yeah, we'll see you tomorrow!"

He and his friends walked off through the exit and across the bridge leading to the arena, all of them full of newfound confidence. Snivels turned back to see Blaze's expression turn from shock to pride, and he smiled and winked. After making sure that no one was looking, Blaze winked back.

* * *

**Their first victory in the arena, and they'll soon be earning respect. Also, Venus has just gotten a major crush on Crackers, who has gotten a crush on her as well. I have considered this relationship because both Bulbasaur and Salatad evolve into Poison-Type Pokémon, and I thought that was fitting in some way. Review, follow, or favorite!**


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: Training

**The first victory for Hiccup in the arena, and the Pokémon are starting to get a little more experienced. What's going to change?**

* * *

Things seemed to get better for Hiccup and his friends after what happened in the arena. They all trained hard to try to get stronger together. They also continued to work as a team in the forge, this time with Venus's help.

They all worked in the forge all night, working on a new project, each of them receiving only a few hours of sleep. By morning, the project was complete. They had made a saddle, so that Hiccup could ride on Toothless's back while they were flying.

When morning came again, they all headed back to the cove, Hiccup carrying the saddle, and a basket full of fish. After Toothless had finished his breakfast, Hiccup showed him the saddle. Toothless responded by running around the cove, with Hiccup chasing him. Snivels and the others watched, each of them trying to hold back a laugh.

The original idea was that Hiccup would sit on the saddle, which rested in turn on Toothless' back, and he would hold a length of rope in his hand. To change direction, he would simply tug on the rope, and the tail fin, which the rope was firmly tied to, would open or close.

It turned out not to be the best idea in the world. When they were airborne, Hiccup tried to get Toothless to go left. He tugged on the rope as hard as he could, and Toothless went the wrong way. They both plunged into the water of the lake for the second time. Seeing them fall in, Crackers rushed over to help them out.

* * *

The next part of training in the arena was to strengthen the bond between trainer and Pokémon. So Gobber assigned the teens and their Pokémon to go against each other. Hiccup ended up battling Fishlegs. The two teens entered the arena with their Pokémon. The other teens and Gobber stood above the arena to watch. Fishlegs, naturally, used Lombre. Hiccup surprised everyone by using Venus. But what good would a Bulbasaur be against a Lombre, who was both a Grass and Water-Type? Obviously, Hiccup and Venus planned to show them.

The battle started out with Lombre using Fury Swipes. Venus dodged them easily. Hiccup then instructed Venus to use Vine Whip. The young Bulbasaur eagerly obeyed her trainer's command. The vines wrapped around Lombre, leaving it completely immobilized. Venus then used Razor Leaf to cause some damage to Lombre while it couldn't move. After a while, Venus stopped attacking and let go of Lombre. Lombre staggered a bit, but remained standing.

Fishlegs nervously commanded Lombre to use Nature Power, which turned into a Swift attack. Venus countered it with Razor Leaf, the two attacks canceling each other out. Before Fishlegs could give Lombre another command, Hiccup surprised everyone with what he told Venus to do next.

"Alright Venus, use Attract!"

Venus winked, and pink hearts appeared and surrounded Lombre. As soon as the hearts made contact with Lombre, he became infatuated. Everyone was surprised that Venus could use Attract, and no one was more surprised than Fishlegs. Now there was nothing he could do to help Lombre.

Hiccup hesitated. It felt wrong for him to attack while the opponent was unable to do anything, but he had to in order to win. "Venus, use Sludge Bomb!" Venus took a deep breath, and then unleashed a huge blob of brown sludge straight at Lombre. Since Sludge Bomb was a Poison-Type move, it was super effective against Lombre. The minute the attack hit Lombre, he fell to the ground, unable to continue the battle.

The first Pokémon battle that Hiccup had ever had, was the first battle he won. And he and Venus had both done it together.

The next battle was a double battle, Hiccup against the twins. Hiccup decided to use Amber and Crackers in that battle. Due to the twins' and the Nidos' constant arguing, Amber and Crackers were both able to land a few powerful hits. The Nidos fought back with Poison Sting, which was easily burned to a crisp by Amber's Flamethrower. The Nidos then tried using Double Kick, but their opponents easily dodged them. Nidorina ran at Crackers and tried to use Bite on him, but Hiccup quickly told Crackers to use Water Pulse. Crackers did so, and the ball of water enveloped Nidorina. The water began to churn, and then it released Nidorina, who was completely fazed.

Meanwhile, Nidorino tried to hit Amber with Horn Attack, but Amber easily dodged it. Amber then fired a close-range Dragon Rage at Nidorino, who was way to close to dodge it. Nidorino was knocked backward, and slammed into his sister. The impact caused both of them to be knocked out, providing Hiccup with his second victory. As Amber and Crackers celebrated, Hiccup noticed the bruises on Crackers's back. He then realized that Crackers really had been abused. _Who could have done such a terrible thing?_ he said in his thoughts.

The third battle was Hiccup vs. Snotlout. Snivels wanted to battle, and so Hiccup decided to use him. But Snivels was really taking his chances, as he would be battling Magmar, who had the Type Advantage.

Magmar fired a Flamethrower, and at first it looked like it hit Snivels, but Snivels then appeared behind his opponent in a blur. He had used his extreme speed to dodge the attack at the last second, greatly surprising both Magmar and Snotlout. Snivels then slammed into Magmar with a Tackle. Magmar quickly recovered and used Fire Punch. Snivels easily dodged it. Keeping his distance, Snivels then used Leaf Tornado. Magmar was lifted up into the vortex, the attack surprisingly causing a lot of damage.

When the Leaf Tornado was sent to the ground, it faded, revealing Magmar lying on the ground. But the battle wasn't over. Magmar hesitantly got up, extremely angry and more determined to win than before. Snivels quickly used Vine Whip to send Magmar up above the arena. Snotlout saw this as his chance to unleash Magmar's secret weapon.

"Magmar, use Fire Blast!"

Magmar's eyes opened, and he responded to his trainer's command. He fired a blast of fire, which split into five at the end. Snivels was about to dodge it, when he suddenly froze. An image appeared in his head. Fire. Fire everywhere. The image in Snivels's head zoomed out to reveal a forest fire. Frozen in place by the image, Snivels failed to dodge the Fire Blast. The flames engulfed him, and he cried out in pain. Magmar landed in the arena as the attack faded, revealing Snivels crouching down on all fours.

Hiccup was shocked that Snivels somehow hadn't been able to dodge the attack. The battle seemed to be over.

But wait.

A green glow surrounded Snivels, and he opened his eyes. He stood up, a determined look in his eyes, the glow never fading.

The other teens were watching above the arena, and the twins were confused with what was going on. "That's Snivels's ability, Overgrow," Fishlegs exclaimed, "Although he's low on energy, his Grass-Type moves have really powered up."

As Fishlegs finished speaking, the green glow that surrounded Snivels faded, and the young Snivy faced Magmar. Snivels's eyes briefly glowed a bright green before fading back to normal.

Now with newfound confidence, Hiccup smiled and exchanged a confident look with Snivels.

"Alright, Snivels, use Leaf Blade!"

The leaf at the end of Snivels's tail glowed as usual, but this time it doubled in size. Overgrow was causing the attack to become more powerful.

"Magmar, hit it with Flamethrower!"

Magmar did as he was told, but Snivels was able to somehow deflect the attack as he charged in. As soon as Snivels got close enough, he swung his tail and hit Magmar with the Overgrow-powered Leaf Blade. The attack was too much for Magmar to take. He fell to the ground, unable to battle.

Snotlout was stunned. Magmar had been beaten. He had lost the battle. And what was more disappointing was that he had lost to Hiccup.

Snivels was really proud of himself for defeating Magmar, and Hiccup was a bit surprised that he actually won the battle against Snotlout.

From above the arena, the teens and their Pokémon were quite surprised. Who would have guessed that Snivels would be able to continue after taking a huge hit from Fire Blast? It took Fishlegs and the twins a moment to realize that Astrid and Blaze weren't watching anymore. The two of them had left the minute that Magmar hit the ground in defeat. No one had noticed them leave because of what had happened.

Astrid and Blaze had just exited the arena. Blaze was impressed by the Pokémon's skills, but Astrid's thoughts were the opposite. _Anyone could have beaten those four,_ she thought, _But there's no way I'm battling _him.

* * *

After a night in the forge, Hiccup and the others found out a way to make sure that Hiccup stayed on the saddle. Wearing a special waistband with clips, Hiccup could attach himself to the saddle to keep him from falling off.

The next morning, Hiccup tried a different approach with controlling the tailfin. He had tied the rope he used to control the fake fin to his foot, leaving his hands to grip the saddle for extra stability.

This time, they were able to make it out of the cove, but not long afterwards, they crashed again, this time into a field of tall grass. Hiccup stumbled away from the crash site, a bit dazed. Remembering that wild Pokémon tended to appear often in tall grass, he went back to get Toothless. To his surprise, Toothless was rolling around, and taking in the sweet scent of the grass they had landed in, purring contentedly.

Hiccup curiously picked a blade of grass and looked at it, unaware that a pair of eyes were watching him through the blades of the tall grass.

* * *

Later that same day, things in the arena got back to the original routine, with the trainees and their Pokémon facing off against the dragons, most likely to see if the battles from last night had strengthened the relationships between trainer and Pokémon.

They were facing the Gronkle and Sliggoo again, and this time, Hiccup had more friends to face it with. Despite that, and the blade of grass he held in his hand, he was still feeling nervous.

Spotting the small group from the corner of its eye, the Gronckle bumbled their way, ready to attack. Hiccup held the grass out, directly in front of him.

The smell of it made the Gronckle hit the ground, skidding in right next to Hiccup. The Sliggoo slid down off of its partner's back and tried to push it up, but Snivels confronted it in Pokémon language, saying that the Gronkle would be okay.

Hiccup could see the dragon's huge nostrils working as it vigorously inhaled the scent of the blade. He took a chance and began to rub the grass roughly across its snout. His plan worked, the Gronckle flopped onto its side, tongue lolling from its mouth and wagging its club-like tail like an overgrown dog.

After training, as Hiccup and his friends made their way out of the arena, they were surrounded by the other teens and Pokémon. Except for Astrid and Blaze, who trailed behind them.

Despite the fact that they all lost their battles against Hiccup the other night, the teens were eager to know how Hiccup had done so well with the Gronkle. Hiccup's mind gave him and his friends an excuse to leave. "Oh, I left my axe back in the ring!" he said with mock exasperation, "We'll go get it, and uh, catch up to you later."

As Hiccup and his friends turned to leave, he and Snivels nearly bumped into Astrid and Blaze. Snivels muttered an apology to Blaze while their trainers tried to avoid each other. As the team of misfits left, Snivels caught a glimpse of Astrid's suspicious expression.

* * *

After a few more unsuccessful attempts at flying that afternoon, Hiccup tried to pass the time by scratching Toothless's scales. The Night Fury seemed to enjoy it, often changing his position for a better scratch.

Then, Hiccup ended up scratching the dragon under the chin unintentionally, and Toothless just flopped to the ground. Hiccup was unnecessarily worried for a moment or two, but then Toothless simply rolled over and gurgled in contentment.

Hiccup didn't know what about chin-scratching had caused him to drop like that. _This,_ he decided, _I should test in Dragon Training class tomorrow._

He was still unaware, however, of the same pair of eyes from the field of grass, watching him from above the cove.

* * *

The Nadder and the Flygon were released from their cage, and they both charged. Astrid threw he axe at the Nadder, who deflected it with the spikes on its head. As Astrid went to retrieve her axe, Snivels and the others seized the opportunity to talk to the Flygon and calm it down. Blaze followed her trainer, knowing that she didn't have much of a choice.

The Nadder continued to charge forward, heading straight for Hiccup. Hiccup quickly dropped the mace that he had been holding, and the Nadder stopped, right in front of him. It gave him a curious look, and made a quiet, almost friendly sound.

A sudden noise drew the attention of both the Nadder, and Hiccup, who turned to see Astrid rapidly approaching, her axe raised above her head threateningly. Acting quickly, Hiccup began to scratch the Nadder behind its ears, causing it to purr softly. Hiccup seamlessly moved his hand underneath the dragon's chin and gave it a single scratch.

Instantly, the Nadder crumpled to the floor with a squawk, driven into complete submission. Hiccup looked up and met Astrid's eyes. They were wide, shocked, and almost frightened. Blaze, however, was quite impressed.

* * *

That evening, Hiccup and his friends entered the Great Hall for dinner. However, the minute they sat down at their table, nearly everyone in the Hall rushed over to sit down and talk with them. Everyone that is, except Astrid and Blaze. Hiccup pretended not to notice, though deep down, he would have preferred sitting with them.

Snivels and the other misfit Pokémon were quite happy with the attention they were getting, but deep down inside, Snivels didn't trust any of the Vikings except for Hiccup. And it really made him uncomfortable when he saw Astrid slam her drink on the table in anger.

* * *

"Meet the Terrible Terror, and Meleon!" declared Gobber, and the cage unlocked. But instead of the doors opening, a tiny flap swung open near the base, and out crawled a small, lizard-like dragon and a green lizard-like Pokémon. They innocently looked up at the teens, the Terror licked one of its eyes with its little tongue.

Ha!" laughed Tuffnut, obviously not taking the little creature seriously. "It's like the size of my" - suddenly, the Terror pounced on him, knocking him to the ground with a kind of squeaky screech.

"Ow! Get it off!" howled Tuff, as the Terror started chewing on his nose with its gums. Snivels snickered at the sight as he, Amber, Crackers, and Venus talked with the Meleon.

Hiccup slowly approached the Terror, and held his shield at an angle that reflected the sunlight off of the shiny center. It was a technique that he had learned from Toothless that morning. The tiny dragon caught sight of the light, and tried to grab it. But Hiccup kept the small circle of light ahead of the dragon, luring it back to its cage. The Meleon caught sight of this, and ran next to its friend, following it.

"Wow," Tuffnut commented to Astrid, "They're better than you and Blaze ever were." Astrid glared at him as the Terror and the Meleon squeezed their way back into the cage.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Astrid and Blaze went to a clearing in the woods where they trained together. Astrid threw her axe repeatingly at the trees, while Blaze tried to stay out of the way and hit some other nearby trees with Sky Uppercut. They were each giving the trees some nasty cuts and gashes.

Astrid retrieved her axe after throwing it once again at the same tree. She then tucked and rolled into another area, and was about to throw her axe at a new target, when she noticed Hiccup and his friends standing in front of her. The Pokémon immediately walked off, Hiccup noticed them and shrugged, walking off as well.

This was Astrid's chance. Now she could find out what they were up to. As the group of misfits disappeared behind a rock, Astrid followed them, climbing on top of the rock and looking around. But strangely, the small group had disappeared out of her sight. Astrid slammed her fist onto the rock in frustration.

* * *

Hiccup and the others had been working in the forge again, and were on their way to the cove, when they had run into Astrid. It was just their luck that they were able to lose her. They were all really confident with their work, and felt like that this time it would work. They had worked together to create a mechanism that took the form of a stirrup attached to Toothless' left side, which would adjust the position of the fin depending on the position Hiccup's foot was in. Along with the saddle and tailfin, Hiccup had been improving his riding vest as well.

In a few minutes time, Hiccup and Snivels (who had been unwillingly talked into it) were riding on Toothless, who was tied to a boulder with a strong piece of rope. They practiced using all of the different positions of the prosthetic fin, using the strong headwind to help lift Toothless into the air. After taking a small break, they lifted up again, but it was at that time the headwind picked up and pushed them backwards. The weight of the dragon, trainer, and Pokémon caused the rope to snap in two, and the trio was pushed backward into the forest.

Hearing a noise underneath him, Hiccup got up to see a small Helioptile lying where he had landed. Unknown to him, the Helioptile was the Pokémon that had been watching him since the accident in the tall grass. The little Pokémon seemed to be hurt, and Hiccup quietly noted to himself to take the Pokémon to the healers when he and his friends got back to the village.

Painfully, Toothless got up – leaving Hiccup to dangle from his side. The cord which attached Hiccup to the saddle was stuck, and would need some work to remove. "Oh, great," Hiccup muttered under his breath.

* * *

"Hiccup," greeted one of the Vikings in the village. Hiccup leaned against a nearby house and waved casually, his Pokémon standing next to him. As soon as the Viking was out of sight, Hiccup picked up the Helioptile, and pulled on the cord, and Toothless began to follow him and the others closely as they stalked under the cover of night through the village.

It had been nerve-wracking, incredibly risky, and maybe just plain stupid to bring the Night Fury into the village.

The group of friends made their way into the forge, which was empty of people. Hiccup instantly found the tool he needed and began to loosen the hook upon which the cord was stuck. As he did so, Toothless looked around curiously. Without any of the others noticing, he picked up a bucket and, seeing that it held no tasty snacks, threw it across the room. It landed with a loud clatter.

The group of misfits froze, then Hiccup got back to work. He had just put down the tool when something else caused them all to freeze. "Hiccup, are you in there?" It was Astrid. And there was no doubt that Blaze was with her.

Hiccup quickly made his way through the door, closing as soon as he made it out. Astrid didn't seem to notice Toothless. Snivels and the others remained inside, making sure that Toothless didn't move.

As Hiccup nervously greeted Astrid, Toothless noticed a lone sheep grazing in the plaza. The sheep's eyes widened when it saw the dragon. As the Pokémon desperately tried to keep Toothless still, they could just hear what was going on outside.

"I normally don't care what other people do, but you're acting weird," Astrid said to Hiccup. Then she added as a sudden tug on the cord that still held Hiccup to Toothless made him stumble, "Well, weirder."

In that instant, Toothless tugged more urgently on the cord. Hiccup was literally lifted into the air for a few brief seconds, and then he was pulled through the door and back into the forge.

It took Hiccup and his friends, including the Helioptile two seconds to climb onto Toothless's back and ride him swiftly out of the village, leaving Astrid to stare in bewilderment through the doors, wondering just what had happened.

"Sorry, that was my fault," Snivels said as they flew off. He suddenly hit himself in the face. "Bad Snivels! Bad Snivy!" Hiccup groaned, "Will you just be quiet?!" Snivels immediately stopped punishing himself and shut up as they flew off.

* * *

**Apparently, Snivels has the tendency to blame himself for whatever goes wrong. And Helioptile will be joining their team, as he needs a trainer to care for him. And three wins in a row for Hiccup in Pokémon battles! Unlike many of the other Vikings, he uses strategy to win a battle. And of course, self-confidence. And he believes in his Pokémon, and he cares for them. And you'll find out what the image in Snivels's head is about. Review, follow, or favorite, and stay tuned for the next update!**


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Test Drive and Snivels's Secret

**There are still some things about Snivels that Hiccup and the others don't know. And it's also time for the test drive.**

* * *

When Stoick, Beartic, and whatever was left of the crew arrived at Berk, their ship was nearly in ruins. Their ship was the only one of the three that had left, and survived. Only a few members of the crew were left, and one of them had lost their Pokémon partner in battle.

All in all, it could have gone better, or worse.

The ship was severely damaged. The sails had gaping holes in them, and the hull had been scorched by the dragons' fire blasts, and the Dragon-Types' Flamethrowers. It would take a while for the boats and weapons to be repaired and replaced.

Gobber and Probopass waited on the dock as the ship approached, along with other Vikings and their partners. As Stoick and Beartic were helped out of the ship, Gobber and Probopass joined them. "I trust you found the nest, at least," Gobber said. Stoick shook his head, "Not even close." Beartic grumbled. Another Viking walked up to Gobber. "There have been rumors of a ghost that's been guarding the dragons' island for the last few years," he said, fearfully, "I never believed it until now." "A ghost?" Gobber had never heard of such a thing. The Viking nodded. "The Ghost of Dragon Island," he said, "That's what we call it." Gobber shrugged, then he and Probopass went to catch up with Stoick and Beartic.

Stoick turned to his friend. "I hope you've had more success than me." Gobber shrugged. "Well, if by success you mean that your parenting troubles are over, then...yes."

Stoick gave Gobber a curious look. Just then, a group of Vikings showed up.

"Congratulations, Stoick! Everyone is so relieved!"

"Out with the old and in with the new, eh?"

"No one'll miss those nuisances!"

"The village is throwing a party to celebrate!"

Stoick knew that they had to be talking about Hiccup and Snivels. He turned to look at Gobber. "They're gone?" he asked. Gobber shrugged. "Well, most afternoons. But who can blame them, I mean the lives of celebrities are very rough. They can barely walk through the village without being swarmed by their new fans." "Hiccup and his Snivy?" Stoick asked. Gobber nodded. "Who would've thought it? They have this...way with the beasts."

Beartic and Probopass said nothing, each of them wearing a straight face.

* * *

Hiccup had decided that they were ready to fly.

He and Toothless had been practicing for hours on end, in order to perfect the right positions and patterns. Snivels had helped, though he always made sure that he wasn't more than two feet off of the ground. It took Hiccup a while to convince Snivels to fly with them. Snivels finally agreed when Hiccup told him that he could ride in the saddlebag. Snivels knew that riding in the saddlebag would decrease the chances of him falling from a very high place.

That's how they ended up flying high above Berk. It was a test on whether or not Toothless was ready to fly again. It was also a test on how strong the equipment was. Hiccup didn't want the saddle, stirrup, or prosthetic breaking while they were more that a hundred feet off the ground.

"Okay, guys," Hiccup said as he patted Toothless, "We're gonna take this nice and slow." Snivels was in charge of determining what position the tail fin was supposed to be in. But Snivels believed that Hiccup should be able to trust himself with determining that. And it didn't help that Snivels had the fear of falling out of the saddlebag if he leaned out too far.

Hiccup clicked the stirrup into position, and the prosthetic fin opened wide. Toothless looked back at it and grunted in a satisfied way. He was ready to go. Snivels ducked back into the saddlebag.

"Alright, it's go time," Hiccup muttered, somewhat nervously. Just in case, he looked back at the fin to make sure that it was indeed in the correct position, then gripped the saddle and urged Toothless downward. They went into a steep dive, pulling out of it just as they reached the ocean's surface. They skimmed the water, and Toothless let one of his wings trail through the water and sent up a spray.

Passing underneath a rocky arch, Hiccup noticed a small flock of Wingull passing by above them. Ignoring the flock, they trio passed under the arch quickly.

"Yes, it worked!" Hiccup exclaimed in relief, but he became distracted and steered Toothless toward a rocky spire that rose up out of the sea. He frantically pulled to the side, but they crashed anyway. "Sorry!" Hiccup quickly apologized, only to steer Toothless into yet another rock spire. "My fault!" he exclaimed exasperatedly. Unforgivingly, Toothless forcefully slapped him with one of the flaps on his head. "Yeah, yeah, I'm on it!" Hiccup replied. He clicked the prosthetic into a different position.

Toothless went sailing upwards alongside a particularly large rocky spire. Excited now, Toothless sped up, flapping his wings in short bursts as they ascended ever higher. "This is amazing!" Hiccup called with exhilaration. Hearing his comment, Snivels peeked out of the saddlebag and noticed how high up they were. His vision blurred, and he became dizzy, his grip on the saddlebag loosening. His fear of heights took control of him as he lost his balance and fell out of the saddlebag.

It took Snivels a minute to register what was happening, and when he did, he screamed. Hiccup turned to see his friend falling down toward the ocean, from a hundred feet up. "Snivels!" Hiccup called out, and steered Toothless downward.

Snivels would have been able to grab onto the saddle with Vine Whip and pull himself up, but his fear of heights, and the fact that he was falling from a hundred feet up, made him paralyzed with fear. He was so scared, he couldn't even scream. At the speed Snivels was falling, it seemed unlikely that Hiccup and Toothless would've been able to catch him before he hit the water.

Just then, a purple and black, bat-like Pokémon seemed to appear out of nowhere and flew underneath the frightened Snivy. It was a Noibat. Snivels landed on the Noibat's back, and the Noibat tried to keep them airborne. Since Snivels was slightly taller and heavier than the Noibat, the Noibat had to beat its wings a lot.

Still speeding forward, Toothless passed by Snivels and the Noibat. Hiccup turned to look up at them. Snivels gave him a small smile, and a thumbs-up. Hiccup then turned back forward to see that he and Toothless were headed for a forest. They pulled out of the dive just over the forest, barely scraping the tops of the numerous trees. They were fast approaching a maze of rock spires. Hiccup leaned in on the saddle. _I can do this,_ he thought to himself as he clicked the stirrup.

They both entered the maze. Hiccup's foot worked like never before, adjusting and readjusting Toothless' prosthetic over and over again. Each turn they made was flawless and perfectly executed. Rocks passed by in a blur, and not once did they worry about hitting one. Hiccup knew that they'd get out without a scratch. His confidence provided the instinct he needed to predict where and when to turn next. In no time at all, they made it out of the maze and into a small fog bank. Emerging from the fog, Hiccup felt an overwhelming sense of elation. Their first flight together had gone better than he could ever imagine.

"Yeah!" he cried, sitting up on the saddle fully and raising both of his arms. Toothless gave a happy sort of warble and shot a blue fireball into the air as if in celebration.

Unfortunately, the fireball exploded just ahead of them, leaving a huge nimbus of flames to linger in the sky. "Come on," Hiccup muttered, as they flew straight into it.

* * *

Hiccup tried to ignore slight burning sensation that his skin still experienced. His hair was scorched and wind-blown, and he was still a little dazed.

Toothless then vomited up half a fish for Hiccup to eat. "Uh, no thanks," Hiccup said casually, "I'm good." He then held up his own fish, which was on a stick and being cooked over a small fire.

The sound of flapping wings drew the two friends' attention. The Noibat from earlier was flying to them, with Snivels still riding on its back. Tired from carrying the young Snivy on his back, the Noibat nearly collapsed when he finally landed. Snivels jumped off of Noibat's back as soon as they landed. "Are you okay?" Hiccup asked. Snivels brushed himself off. "Well, to be quite honest, which I am, it could have gone better," he said. The Noibat nodded in agreement. "Anyway, thanks for the lift," Snivels said and waved at the Noibat. Snivels turned and started to walk away, when the Noibat rushed up and nuzzled him. "I think it wants to stay with us," Hiccup said, not sure if he should be excited or disappointed. Noibat was a Flying and Dragon-Type, and of course the villagers would attack a Dragon-Type, no matter how cute it was.

Snivels didn't mind this, however, so he pet the Noibat on the nose. "Do you have a name?" he asked. The Noibat lifted his head and squeaked. Obviously, the little bat-like Pokémon was unable to speak human. Snivels turned to Hiccup and Toothless. "He said that his name is Verne," he said. Verne tilted his head, which made him look pretty cute. Toothless grumbled. Snivels frowned. "You know, that's not really a good first impression for him, right?"

Both Toothless and Hiccup looked at Snivels in both shock and amazement. "You mean you actually understood what Toothless said?" Hiccup asked. Snivels shrugged. "I guess so," he said. "How is that possible?" Hiccup asked. "I can't tell you," Snivels said, turning away, "You'll laugh." "I'm not going to laugh," Hiccup said. Snivels shrugged. "Well, that's what they always say, and then what happens later? You laugh." Hiccup sighed. "I promise that I won't laugh," he said. Snivels sighed, and turned around to face his trainer. "Okay," he said, and took a deep breath.

"I was raised by Speed Stingers."

As soon as he finished speaking, Snivels turned around and covered his ears. He looked back at Hiccup, who was trying not to laugh. After he had calmed down, he said, "So that's it?"

Snivels turned to face Hiccup. "What do you mean that's it? You're the first person that I ever told!" "I meant what about your family," Hiccup said. Snivels suddenly felt a pang of sorrow. Truth was, he was the last surviving member of his family, but he was afraid of what Hiccup would think if he told him the whole truth about what had happened. "My family is gone," he said, "I'm the last surviving member of my family." Hiccup suddenly felt pity and sorrow for his friend. "So you lived with Speed Stingers because you didn't have anyone else to take care of you," he said, "And that's why you can run so fast, and also how you can understand what dragons are saying." Snivels nodded.

Hiccup reached out and picked Snivels up. Leaning back on Toothless, he placed the young Snivy in his lap. "You don't have to worry anymore, you know," he said, "You have friends now." Snivels looked up at his friend and smiled. "Thanks," he said, "That's all I ever needed."

Suddenly, there was a series of shrieks that pealed out into the otherwise silent air, and a group of five Terrible Terrors, with Meleons ridding on their backs, flying right toward the small group of friends. Toothless growled as they landed, all scuttling at once toward the pile of fish Toothless held in front of him. Toothless growled again and pulled the fish closer to him possessively.

Not that the Terrors or Meleon were in any way intimidated. One pair of them worked together to grab a fish from Toothless, with Meleon distracting him and the Terror snatching the fish. That particular Terror sat down a safe distance from the larger dragon and began to eat. However, he was challenged by one of his comrades, and was forced to spit a burst of fire in that Terror's direction.

Toothless had been watching the fight from the sidelines with amusement, when he saw the fish pile move. Hiccup, Snivels, and Verne observed with curiosity, and Toothless with annoyance, as a Terror crawled out from the pile with a fish in its mouth. Quickly, Toothless grabbed the other end of the fish and yanked. The fish split apart at the tail, leaving the single fin in the Terror's mouth.

It sat comically on its rump as Toothless gave it a kind of gurgling laugh. The Terror wasn't amused. It spat out the fish tail, clawed the dirt, and rose up on its hind legs with a shriek. A burst of gas appeared at the back of its throat as it prepared to light its fire.

Toothless, with a bored look on his face, beat it to it, casually spitting a small fire bolt straight into the Terror's mouth. The gas exploded, causing the Terror to swell up and have steam whistling out of its nose and mouth. Hiccup chuckled to himself. "Not so fireproof on the inside, are you?" he asked the little dragon, which stumbled away from Toothless in a drunken manner. "Here you go," he added, throwing it his own fish.

The morsel landed right in front of the dragon, instantly snapping it out of its daze. The Terror gulped the fish down whole, then approached Hiccup curiously. Hiccup relaxed, slumping down against Toothless while keeping his eye on the dragon.

Finally, its curiosity got the better of it, and the Terror climbed right up onto Hiccup's lap, next to Snivels. Like a scaly cat, it reached up with its head and gently nuzzled the two of them, then settled down to rest. Minutes later, the Terror's Meleon friend trotted up and snuggled up next to Verne, who was sitting next to Hiccup.

Hiccup stared at the sleeping dragon in his lap in wonder. It was hard to believe that this creature and its relatives were the very same ones that he had once hoped to kill. That _everyone_ hoped to kill. The idea was absurd now that he'd been spending so much time with what he now knew as quite a lovable beast.

"Everything we know about you guys," he breathed, gently stroking the docile Terror, "is wrong."

The Terrible Terror, who was obviously not so terrible at all, continued to sleep in Hiccup's lap.

* * *

**Now we know a little more about Snivels. And yes, the Speed Stinger is a dragon, but to me it looks a lot more like a dinosaur, since it can't fly. If there's ever a new kind of meat-eating theropod dinosaur discovered, that resembles the Speed Stinger, they should call it Dracosaurus celeritatis. That's Latin for "dragon lizard of speed." Review, follow, or favorite!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Romantic Flight

**Now for the final test of battling dragons, and training Pokémon. And you can probably guess what also happens later on.**

* * *

After Hiccup and Snivels had gotten back (of course, they left Verne with Toothless in the cove), they went to the forge with the others. Hiccup sat at his desk, flicking his pencil with his index finger. Snivels told Amber, Crackers, Venus, and Tito (the Helioptile they had befriended) what had happened earlier that day. None of them had noticed Stoick and Beartic had arrived, until Hiccup turned his attention to the entrance. He quickly tried to hide his drawings of Toothless as he greeted them.

"D-dad! You're back! Uh, Gobber's not here, so we..." Stoick nodded as he and Beartic squeezed through the entrance. "I know, we came looking for you." "Really?" Hiccup asked as he closed his sketchbook. Stoick nodded again. "You've been keeping secrets," he said. "I...I have?" Hiccup asked, trying to act casual. "You and your Snivy," Stoick said. "Does that count for the rest of us?" Snivels asked. It was then that Stoick finally noticed the other Pokémon. "What is going on here?" Hiccup tried to act as casual as he could. "Oh, you know, just...building a team."

Stoick shook his head. "No one I have ever known on this island has had more than one partner," he said. Hiccup shrugged. "That's something that I sort of wanted to talk to you about," he said. "This was one of your secrets?" Stoick asked. "I have no idea what you're talking about..." Hiccup said nervously. "_Nothing_ happens on this island without me knowing about it," Stoick said seriously. This caused Snivels to back up a step, and Tito to shrink down in fear. Stoick took a step closer to Hiccup, with Beartic guarding the entrance. "So, let's talk...about that dragon."_  
_

Hiccup knew that didn't sound good. Had Stoick found out about Toothless? "Dad, I am so sorry, I...I wanted to tell you, but I..." He was cut off when Stoick burst out laughing. Hiccup was stunned for a few seconds, and then he laughed nervously. Snivels and the others all exchanged confused looks. "You're not upset?" Hiccup asked. "What?" Stoick nearly shouted, "I was hoping for this!" This confused Hiccup even more. "Y-you were?" "And believe me, it only gets better!" Stoick continued, "Just wait until you spill a Nadder and Flygon's guts for the first time! And mount your first Gronkle and Sliggoo heads on a spear!" Clearly, they weren't talking about the same thing.

Stoick was so happy, he nudged his son, but ended up pushing him into a barrel. "What a feeling! You really had me going there son! All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen! Odin, it was rough! I almost gave up on you. But all the while, you were holding out to me! Oh, Thor almighty!" Hiccup gave his dad a look.

Snivels glanced over at Beartic, who to his surprise, was actually _smiling_.

Stoick pulled up a chair. "With all of you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about."

The room got awkwardly quiet. Even Snivels didn't say anything. He still didn't trust Stoick enough to speak to him, after everything they'd been through. Whenever he did speak to the chief, however, it was always in defense.

After minutes of silence, Stoick finally decided to do what he came there for. Reaching behind him, he pulled out a recently made Viking helmet. "I brought you something," he straightened one of the horns, "To help keep you safe in the ring." He handed the helmet to Hiccup. Snivels eyed the helmet suspiciously.

Hiccup didn't know what to say. "Thanks, Dad." Stoick sighed. "Your mother would've wanted you to have it. It's half of her breastplate." Hiccup and his friends all wore matching expressions of surprise. Stoick tapped his own helmet. "Matching set. Keeps her close, you know." He gestured to the helmet he had given to Hiccup. "Wear it proudly."

Hiccup was still speechless. He set the helmet down on his desk, making sure to hold it by the horns. Snivels chose that moment to finally speak up. "Well, that was...an interesting conversation, uh, maybe we should be...resting." Much to everyone's surprise, Stoick actually listened to Snivels this time. "Very well," he said, standing up, "Good talk." Hiccup nodded. "Yeah. Thanks for the, uh..." "The hat." "The breast hat." "Good night." Stoick then left, with Beartic following. Hiccup sighed.

For a while, the room was quiet once again. Snivels attempted to lighten the mood. "Well, that wasn't so bad!" Hiccup and the others gave him a look. "Do you really think that this is a good time to be optimistic?" Hiccup asked, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. Snivels's smile immediately faded. "Oh, uh...yeah, that's right, it can wait. Later. Heh, heh." There was suddenly a loud clatter from outside. "I think it's best that we don't check that out," Snivels said. "Agreed," Crackers said, nodding.

* * *

The Gronkle and the Sliggoo were once again, left out of their cage. This time, however, it was only Hiccup and Astrid in the ring. The task was for them to take out the dragons without using any Pokémon to see how strong they had gotten individually. Snivels, Amber, Crackers, Venus, Tito, and Blaze all watched from the closed entrance to the arena. They all honestly thought that it wasn't much of a fair fight, with the dragon with its Pokémon partner, and them without any.

Both Hiccup and Astrid were hiding behind one of the wooden boards that had been set up in the arena. Hiccup was wearing the helmet that Stoick had given him. Astrid suddenly pulled down Hiccup's shield and looked him in the eyes. "Stay out of my way! I'm winning this thing." She held up her axe, making sure he got the message. She then proceeded to move to another wooden board. Hiccup stood up, but didn't follow her. "Sure, please, by all means!" he called out to her. And that wasn't sarcasm.

He knew he had to let her win.

He looked up and saw Stoick and Beartic among the Vikings and Pokémon above the arena, looking down at him. As much as he didn't want to disappoint his dad, Hiccup didn't want to win the so-called honor of killing the Nightmare and Salamence. He didn't want it from the start. All he wanted was to survive the training.

As the Gronkle and the Sliggoo advanced, Astrid followed them by hiding behind the wooden boards. "This time," she said to herself, "This time for sure!" She then leaped out of her hiding place, charging out with a battle cry. But she stopped at he sight that met her eyes.

The Gronkle was on its side, its tongue lolled out to the side, and the Sliggoo was petting it on the nose. Hiccup was leaning against the board, turned away from the two dragons. When he saw what was going on, he was completely confused. But Astrid believed that this was his doing. "No!" She began swinging her axe around angrily, cursing mildly.

None of the Vikings knew for sure what had happened, but Snivels and the others had seen the whole thing.

The Sliggoo and the Gronkle had both recognized Hiccup, and remembered how he had refused to fight them. They decided to greet him, instead of trying to attack him. The Sliggoo was trying to calm the Gronkle, so that it didn't act dangerous around their new friend.

The entrance to the arena opened, and the Pokémon ran to meet their trainers. Snivels took the opportunity to explain to Hiccup what had happened as Stoick told everyone to be quiet. Hiccup tried to leave, but Gobber stopped him, picking him up and setting him down next to Astrid. If looks could kill, Hiccup would've been dead. He'd never seen Astrid so angry before. He remembered what Snivels had said. "Don't ever make Astrid angry. You wouldn't like her when she's angry." And boy, was he right.

Stoick then raised his voice. "Quiet! The elder has decided." Snivels jumped up onto Hiccup's shoulder, as the others waited patiently next to their trainer. Gobber stood behind both of the teens and their Pokémon. He raised his hook above Astrid and Blaze. The elder shook her head. There were gasps and murmurs among the crowd. Then Gobber pointed at Hiccup and his team. The elder nodded and pointed at them.

That was it.

The crowd cheered loudly. "You've done it, Hiccup!" Gobber exclaimed, looking more excited than anyone had ever seen him. "You've done it! You get to kill the dragons!" Everyone was cheering and shouting Hiccup's name. Except for Astrid, of course. The other teens and Pokémon rushed up to Hiccup and his Pokémon. Fishlegs hoisted Hiccup up on his shoulder, causing Snivels to grip his trainer tightly, due to how far he was off of the ground. "That's my boy!" roared Stoick over the noise. Snivels glared at the chief, with no one noticing.

"Yes! Yes!" Hiccup kept saying, each time sounding more unenthusiastic than the last. But no one noticed, so great was their own enthusiasm. "Yes, we are so..."

* * *

"Leaving!" he finished, then called out to Toothless and Verne, who were momentarily nowhere in sight. "We're leaving! Let's pack up… looks like we're all taking a little vacation...forever." Snivels and the others went to look for the two dragons.

Hiccup was carrying an empty basket on his shoulder, which he would use to carry the fish he'd collect later for the journey. He bent down behind a large boulder to put down the basket and readjust his riding gear. Snivels ran back over to him, in case he needed help.

As Hiccup stood up, he and Snivels heard a low, scraping noise. They directed their attention up to the top of the boulder. There, sitting on the boulder and sharpening her axe with a small rock, as if she didn't have a care in the world, was Astrid.

Hiccup was so surprised, he stumbled backward. "What the...! Wh-what are you doing here?" He noticed Blaze leaning up against the side of the boulder, giving an almost apologetic look. Astrid didn't look at him right away. Instead, she held her blade to the light and examined it, whilst throwing away the stone. Then, she said idly, "I want to know what's going on."

Astrid hopped off of the rock and continued, more menacingly, "No one just gets as good as you do – _especially_ you." She shifted her axe from hand to hand and glared at him. Hiccup wisely tried to back off. Snivels, who believed that there wasn't much he could do, watched from the side with Blaze as Astrid continued to question Hiccup. "Start talking," she ordered. "Are you training with someone? It better not involve this…" she added, grabbing his riding vest. Futilely, he tried to play it cool. "Uh, I know _this_ looks really bad, but, uh…"

There was a sudden warble, followed by a squeak, from the other side of the cove. Startled, Astrid threw Hiccup to the ground and headed toward where the noises had come from. Hoping to distract her, Hiccup said quickly, "You're right! You're right! I'm through with the lies! I've been making...outfits!" Astrid didn't even glance his way, so focused was she on investigating whatever had made those noises.

Hiccup moved in front of her line of sight and continued frantically, "So, you got me. It's time everyone knew. Drag me back, go ahead. Here we go..." Astrid glanced at him furiously and twisted his arm. "OW!" he yelled in pain, and falling to the ground. "Why would you _do_ that?!"

Standing over him, Astrid viciously kicked him, sending him flat against the ground. "That's for the lies," she growled, "And that's..." she hit him in the stomach with the blunt end of her axe, "for everything else."

There was a growl, and Astrid looked around cautiously. "Oh, man," Hiccup muttered.

Toothless and Verne turned toward the sound of their friend's voice and saw Astrid. The yellow-green eyes of the Night Fury were the first thing she saw. She gasped and screamed, "Get down!" She threw Hiccup to the ground. Toothless then charged forward with a roar. Astrid quickly stood up, readying her axe, and shouted, "Run!" Hiccup threw himself at her, ripping the weapon out of her grasp and throwing it aside.

Just as Toothless reached them, two sets of vines came out of nowhere and wrapped around his neck. Both Snivels and Venus were using Vine Whip to hold the angry dragon back. Hiccup seized the opportunity to calm Toothless down. "No, Toothless, it's okay!" He turned back to see that Blaze was helping Astrid up. He turned back to the dragon. "They're friends," he said gently. Toothless stopped his wild flapping and leaping to gaze at him skeptically. Verne flew over and perched on Hiccup's shoulder, with the other Pokémon following.

Hiccup turned to Astrid and Blaze. "You just scared him," he said. "_We_ scared _him_?!" she exclaimed in response, then all of a sudden calmed herself. "Who...is _him_?" she added, eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Hiccup gulped nervously, and hesitantly introduced them. "Uh, Astrid… Toothless! Toothless… Astrid." The dragon glared even more ferociously and snarled loudly, immediately contradicting his name. Astrid turned her attention to the Noibat. Snivels stepped forward and pointed up at the bat-like Pokémon. "That's Verne," he said.

Astrid then glared at them, and with Blaze following, she turned and ran for the exit.

Hiccup and the others watched her leave. "Da da da, we're dead," Hiccup commented. Snivels shook his head. "Not yet, we aren't." He turned to Toothless, who glared, and turned around, heading back to his previous spot. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Hiccup protested. "Where do you think you're going?"

* * *

_Hiccup has a dragon!_ That singular thought echoed again and again in Astrid's mind incessantly, driving her to run faster. Blaze was following, but had very little intention of letting the other Vikings know the truth. But her loyalty to her trainer kept her running. Astrid glanced back to see if Blaze was following her. She was. However, she was so focused on getting back to the village, that she didn't hear the sound of beating wings.

Toothless then swooped in and grabbed Astrid and Blaze in his talons. Astrid screamed. "Oh, great Odin's ghost! Oh, this is it!" She screamed longer and louder than she ever had before. Blaze tried to cover her ears, and she closed her eyes, not wanting to see how far they were off the ground.

Hiccup flew Toothless towards a very tall tree. The Night Fury dropped Astrid and Blaze on a sturdy branch near the top, and landed right above them. The frightened Viking and her Pokémon gripped the branch tightly. "Hiccup!" Astrid yelled, "Get us down from here!" She wasn't in the best position to be giving him commands, but it just came naturally.

"You have to give me a chance to explain!" Hiccup pleaded. "We are not listening to _anything_ you have to say!" Despite what she said, Blaze seemed rather interested. "Then I won't speak," Hiccup said gently, "Just let me show you." He paused, then added, "Please, Astrid?"

Astrid scoffed, but pulled herself up. Balancing on the branch, she pulled Blaze up. The two of them cautiously made their way over to Hiccup's position. Toothless growled as they came near. Hiccup offered his hand, but Astrid slapped it away. She then hoisted herself up on the saddle, and pulled Blaze up behind her. Astrid then cautiously wrapped her arms around Hiccup's torso. "Now get us down," she told him in a tremulous voice.

"Toothless, down," Hiccup told the dragon, slowly and clearly. Then he added with emphasis, "Gently." Obediently, the Night Fury spread its wings and readied for takeoff.

"See?" said Hiccup confidently, "Nothing to worry about." But Toothless wasn't through yet. The dragon launched himself straight up into the sky, climbing higher and higher. Astrid screamed as she and Blaze were pushed back off of the saddle, desperately holding on with all their might. "Toothless! What are you doing?!" Hiccup shouted, "Bad dragon!" Astrid desperately reached up and grabbed Hiccup's face, pulling herself up and readjusting her grip on his torso. Blaze pulled herself up by grabbing onto Astrid.

Hiccup turned to look at Astrid. "He's not usually like this," he tried to explain. But then, Toothless folded his wings and dropped like a rock. "Oh, no," Hiccup muttered. Minutes later, they hit the water, Toothless diving in as deep as he could. They surfaced briefly, only to crash back down again. "Toothless, what are you doing? We need them to like us!" Hiccup shouted The second they surfaced again.

But Toothless shot up into the sky, not listening to what Hiccup was saying. The Night Fury then started spinning like a corkscrew. "And now the spinning," Hiccup said, somehow retaining his sarcastic sense of humor. "Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile." Toothless then started free falling back down to the ocean.

Blaze couldn't hold back anymore. It was time for her to reveal the truth. "Apologize to him!" she shouted to Astrid. Both Astrid and Hiccup were shocked. "What?!" they said in unison. "I said apologize to him!" Blaze said again. But Astrid was too shocked to listen. "You can talk?!" "JUST APOLOGIZE!" Blaze screamed at the top of her lungs.

Astrid was still pretty shocked about how Blaze could talk, but she knew she had no other choice. "Okay, I'm sorry!" she shouted, closing her eyes tightly, and hugging Hiccup's torso. "I'm sorry! Just get us off of this thing!"

Luckily for her, Toothless heard her, and his expression softened. He spread his wings, catching a string thermal, and shot into the sky once again. This time, the flight was more smooth and calm, unlike the way he had been doing the air stunts earlier. He flapped his wings, and brought them all up into the clouds.

Blaze tapped on Astrid's shoulder gently. The frightened girl hesitantly opened her eyes. The sight that met her was unlike anything she had experienced. They were flying high in the clouds, the sunset highlighting the ocean beneath them. The scene had some sort of romantic theme, which is what Toothless had intended.

Astrid looked up at the clouds above them, reaching up and touching it. It felt cool and wet. Feeling more confident, Astrid reached up with both hands, feeling the clouds refreshing texture.

Hiccup was as amazed as Astrid was, if not more. Blaze smiled to herself, enjoying her trainer's attempts to make the most out of the moment. It seemed that the tough Viking warrior had finally opened her heart.

When they finally rose above the clouds, it was nighttime. The night sky was decorated with hundreds of stars, shining bright. To add to the beauty, the sky lit up in a flash of colors. The northern lights.

The clouds beneath them parted, revealing the village of Berk. Toothless took a minute to glance back, and saw all that all of his riders were smiling.

Enchanted by the beautiful view, Astrid hugged Hiccup closer. Hiccup was temporarily surprised, but then he smiled.

Toothless carved a big turn, away from the village and back over the ocean. Astrid looked around, gazing up at the stars above them. "Alright, I admit it. This is pretty cool. It's...amazing. He's amazing." She leaned in to look at Toothless, patting his flank. The dragon crooned softly. Astrid looked back up at Hiccup. _You're amazing, too,_ she said silently. She had fallen in love.

Suddenly, they heard a voice. "It's amazing and scary all at the same time."

Hiccup turned to look at the saddlebag hanging on Toothless's side. "Snivels?" Sure enough, Snivels opened the flap of the saddlebag and poked his head out. "Snivels, what in the...when did you...what are you doing here?!" Snivels shrugged. "Hey, wherever my trainer goes, I go," he said. Just then, a Noibat flew out of nowhere, and flew next to where Snivels was. The Noibat squeaked. Snivels looked at it with a huge amount of surprise. "Verne! What are you doing here?!"

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and turned his attention to the area in front of them. Astrid decided to break the silence. "So, what now?" Hiccup sighed. Astrid's eyes widened. "Hiccup, your final exam is tomorrow! You know you guys are gonna have to kill..." "Shh, don't!" Snivels said, and pointed at Toothless and Verne. Astrid finished her statement in a whisper, "Kill dragons." Hiccup groaned, "Don't remind me."

Just then, Toothless dove down into a thick blanket of fog, with Verne close behind. "Toothless, what's happening?" Hiccup asked as they descended. "He's bringing us to..." Snivels began, but stopped with fear of continuing. Blaze finished for him.

"The Dragon's Nest."

* * *

**So, Team Hiccup has won the "honor" of killing the dragons, Astrid discovered Toothless, Blaze revealed that she could talk, and Snivels was hiding in the saddlebag throughout the whole flight. And apparently, Verne had been following them the whole time as well. Review, follow, or favorite!**


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Revelations in the Ring

**The finding of the dragons' nest, the first appearance of the Red Death, and the final exam in the ring, with some surprises to add to the mix.**

* * *

The group of friends anxiously flew through the thick fog, unable to see anything ahead of them. Suddenly, a Monstrous Nightmare and a Salamence appeared next to them, each holding a large fish in their claws. "Get down!" Hiccup whispered urgently. He, Astrid, and Blaze flattened themselves against Toothless's back, trying not to be seen. Snivels ducked back into the saddlebag, keeping the flap open so he could see.

As the fog cleared up a bit, the small group suddenly found themselves surrounded by hundreds of dragons and Dragon-Types, all carrying food in the talons and jaws, and in some cases, their paws.

Hiccup looked at a Monstrous Nightmare flying beside them. The dragon was holding a dead sheep in its talons. "It looks like they're hauling in their kill," he said quietly. "What does that make us?" Astrid asked nervously. "The spies," Snivels said, who knew what Toothless was doing. A Zippleback and Zweilous next to them noticed the Night Fury, and seemed to pay no attention to e humans and Pokémon with them. Except for Verne, who they recognized as a Noibat, a Flying and Dragon-Type.

The dragons all dove down toward the water, still clutching their food. Toothless followed them, his riders doing their best not to scream. With Verne behind him, Toothless swiveled through the rock spires ahead, following the other dragons. In a few minutes, the fog lifted, revealing a rocky island with a dormant volcano in the middle of it.

The dragons' nest.

All of the dragons, including Toothless and Verne, flew into a tunnel on the side of the volcano, inside the nest. And ominous orange glow appeared at the end of the tunnel, lighting up the inside of he nest. A massive cave, and orange-red glow lighting it up so the dragons could see. Giant rock spires provided the dragons with a place to rest. "What my dad wouldn't give to find this," Hiccup said.

"They're all pretty frightened," Snivels said. "How do you know that?" Astrid asked. "I was raised by Speed Stingers," Snivels said, "Therefore, I'm able to understand what dragons are saying." Astrid glared at him. "You're making that up," she said. "Come on, Astrid, does that sound like something someone would make up?" Snivels asked.

Toothless then steered over to an abandoned rock spire, with Verne following close behind. They positioned themselves so that they could watch the dragons coming in and dropping to food somewhere into the nest.

"Well, it's satisfying to know that all of our food has been dumped down a hole," Hiccup said, sarcastically. A Deadly Nadder and a Flygon each dropped a large fish into the hole. "They're not eating any of it," Astrid said. "And you're about to see why," Snivels said, pointing to a Gronkle and Sliggoo that had just arrived.

The stout dragon flew over to the hole, and spat a small mackerel into the hole. There was a lout roar, and the Gronkle tried to fly away, but it was too slow. A large set of jaws rose out of the hole, closing around the Gronkle and Sliggoo, swallowing them whole.

"What...is that?" Astrid asked as all of the dragons retreated into the shadows to hid for the behemoth. "We call it the Red Death," Snivels said, "Huge, merciless, and always hungry. So hungry, that it doesn't have a partner." The Red Death lowered its head back into the misty hole, but then it rose again, its large nostrils catching the scent of the humans. Hiccup leaned down and patted Toothless's neck. "Toothless, we gotta get out of here." The Red Death turned its head in their direction. "NOW!"

Toothless and Verne both took off, barely avoiding the jaws of the Red Death. This sent all of the dragons into a frenzy, trying to get away from the monstrous titan. The Red Death tried to grab them again, but its jaws closed on a Zippleback and Zweilous. Feeling satisfied, the giant dragon lowered back into the nest, waiting for the next round of food that the dragons would bring it.

* * *

"No, it totally makes sense," Astrid said as they returned to the cove, "It's like a giant beehive. They're the workers, and that's their queen. It controls them."

They made it back to the cove, and Toothless landed by the lake. Amber and the others watched from the side as their friends arrived. Astrid and Blaze dismounted Toothless. "Let's find your dad," Astrid said to Hiccup. Hiccup quickly dismounted and ran after them. "No, no! Not now, they'll...kill Toothless! Astrid, we have to think this through, carefully."

Astrid looked at him skeptically. "Hiccup, we just discovered the dragons' nest! The thing we've been after since Vikings first sailed here. And you want to keep it a secret? To protect your _pet_ dragon?! Are you serious?!"

Hiccup looked at her, and said surely and confidently, "Yes."

The minute she heard him say that, Astrid's expression softened. There was no resemblance of the tough and stubborn Astrid in her expression.

Slightly embarrassed, Hiccup turned away.

Astrid shrugged. "Okay, then what do we do?" she asked quietly. Hiccup sighed, "Just give us until tomorrow. We'll figure something out." Astrid nodded. "Okay." Then, without warning, she punched him in the arm. "That's for kidnapping me," she said, matter-of-factly.

Startled and confused, Hiccup turned to Toothless, Verne, and Snivels. The black dragon and the Noibat were drinking from the lake, with Snivels standing next to them. Snivels noticed his friend's expression and shrugged.

Astrid then nervously brushed some strands of hair out of her eyes. She grabbed Hiccup by the front of his shirt, pulled him in, and kissed him on the cheek. "That's for...everything else." She turned and walked away.

Both Hiccup and Blaze stood there, surprised at what Astrid had just done. Astrid turned to look back, and Blaze hurried up to her. The two of them took of running, heading for the exit of the cove.

Hiccup continued to watch them as they left. He couldn't believe that Astrid had done that. The girl that had hated him hours ago had just kissed him. Sure it was on the cheek, but still.

Toothless, Verne, and Snivels suddenly came up from behind their friend. "I think that date went pretty well," Snivels said with a smirk. Hiccup turned to find the three of them next to him. "Snivels!" He nearly fell backward in surprise. Amber and the others giggled from their hiding place, catching their trainer's attention. "What are you guys looking at?" Hiccup asked. Toothless warbled, and did his best to shrug.

* * *

"What was that all about?" Blaze asked as she and Astrid ran through the forest, back to the village. "How are you able to talk?" Astrid asked, though fully aware that the question was off-subject. Blaze sighed. "Remember when we started training together? Here in the forest?" Astrid nodded, slightly confused. "You said that I should watch and learn," Blaze said, "And I did. I watched you, and I learned how to talk because of you. You taught me more than just how to fight dragons. And I learned more about you than you wanted me to.

"I didn't tell you, because I was worried that you would abandon me because of what I had learned to do. I was confused of who I could trust. But I obeyed you. And that's because that even though I had learned the truth about the dragons, you would have wanted me to fight them."

As she listened, Astrid realized that Blaze and known the truth all along. About the dragons, about Hiccup's improvements in the ring, everything. "I'm sorry, Blaze," she said, "I should've realized that we had a stronger bond than I thought we had." Blaze nodded, accepting her friend's apology. "So, what was that all about back there?" She asked. "What was what about?" Astrid asked, confused. "Why did you kiss him?" Blaze asked.

Astrid's eyes widened, she hadn't expected Blaze to ask her that. "Can you keep a secret?" she asked. "That's all I've been doing," Blaze said. "I...I think I...I think..." Astrid struggled to say. "What?" Blaze asked. Astrid looked her friend in the eye, trying desperately to gather up the courage to confess her thoughts.

"I think I love him."

Blaze's eyes widened. The she smiled. "What?" Astrid asked. "All that me and Snivels had been trying to do was find a way to get you two together," Blaze said, "Because we knew that he had feelings for you. And you go off on a flight with him on his dragon friend, and just like that, you're in love with him. I've been waiting for the right time to try and convince you that he's not a bad person to be with. At least give him a chance." "I'll try to," Astrid said, "But do not tell _anyone_ about this. Promise?"

Blaze sighed. "Alright, I won't tell, but if you don't tell him, then I might do it for you." "Just don't tell him anything!" Astrid said. "I won't tell him if you promise to tell him how you feel about him yourself," Blaze said. "I promise, I'll tell him," Astrid said. "So it's a deal?" Blaze asked, holding out her hand. Astrid nodded, grabbed Blaze's hand, and shook it. "Deal."

Satisfied, Blaze nodded and led the way back to the village. Astrid smiled to herself as she and her partner made their way back home. _Blaze is right about Hiccup,_ she thought to herself, _He's different, but in a good way. He's amazing._ Her smile widened as another thought crossed her mind.

_Astrid, I think you just fell in love._

* * *

The cheering of the crowd was loud and deafening. Everyone on the island, Viking and Pokémon alike, had shown up to watch Hiccup and his friends fight and kill the dragons. Stoick's voice boomed over the cheering crowd. "Well, we can show our faces in public again!" He gestured to Beartic next to him, who growled in approval.

"If someone told me that in a few short weeks, Hiccup would go from being, well...Hiccup, to placing first in dragon training, then I would have tied him to a mast and shipped him off, for fear he'd gone mad!" The crowd laughed and cheered. "And you know it!" Stoick shouted for them to hear.

As the cheering died down, Stoick became more serious. "But here we are," he said, "And no one is more surprised, or more proud, than I am. Today, my boy becomes a Viking. Today, he becomes one of us!" The crowd cheered the loudest yet, excited for the battle about to begin.

Hiccup and his Pokémon, minus Verne, were standing in the shadows of the entrance to the arena. Snivels was perched on Hiccup's shoulder, and he frowned at the thought of Hiccup becoming a Viking. Of becoming _one of them_. One of the many Vikings that he despised since day one. Minus Hiccup and Astrid, of course. He knew that after what had happened last night that he could trust her.

"Be careful with those dragons," said a voice behind them. It was Astrid, and of course, Blaze was with her. "It's not the dragons I'm worried about," Hiccup said, watching Stoick walk over to a rocky throne. Who knew how Stoick would react to what they were about to reveal.

"What are you going to do?" Astrid asked. "Put and end to this," Hiccup said, "We have to try." He turned to face her. "Astrid, if something goes wrong, please help us make sure they don't find Toothless and Verne." "We will," Astrid said, "Just promise that it won't go wrong." She could have had the chance to tell him her feelings, as she had promised Blaze the night before, but Gobber and Probopass appeared. "It's time, Hiccup. Knock 'em dead."

Hiccup and his Pokémon walked into the arena, unwilling to betray their fear. Snivels glared at the Vikings as they all cheered for them. Hiccup lifted his helmet into his head, trying to seem brave. The door to the arena closed, and the group of friends was locked in.

They all headed over to the weapons rack, Hiccup grabbing a shield and a dagger. They al turned to face the cage that held the dragons they would be facing. "We're ready," Hiccup said, and his friends all nodded.

Slowly, but surely, two Vikings outside the arena unlocked the cage that held the Nightmare and Salamence. The minute the doors were unlocked, the Nightmare burst out of its cage, covered in flames. It snapped its jaws and lunged up onto the chains above the arena, trying to find a way out. Salamence then emerged and flew around the opposite side of the arena, also looking for a way out.

The Nightmare clawed across the chain roof, shooting a blast if fire that the Vikings and Pokémon outside the arena barely avoided. The Nightmare clawed its way over to where its partner was, the two of them exchanging growls of disappointment. It was the Salamence that spotted Hiccup and his friends. It gestured with its head to show the Nightmare they weren't alone.

The dragons eyed the group of friends, the Nightmare climbing down onto the floor, and the Salamence flying down to the same level. All of the people outside the arena leaned in to get a better look. "Go on, give it to 'em!" a Viking in the crowd shouted. But Hiccup and the others barely heard him.

Snivels jumped down from Hiccup's shoulder, and led the others over to the Salamence. "_You don't have to worry,_" Snivels said in Pokémon language, "_We're not going to hurt you. We're your friends. We want to help you. But first, we need you to help us._" The Salamence listened to every word that Snivels said to it. It nodded, willing to do what its new friends wanted help with.

Hiccup was trying to convince the Monstrous Nightmare that he wasn't a threat. He backed up as the dragon advanced, dropping his shield and dagger, and holding out his hands. There were murmurs through the crowd just outside the arena. Astrid and Blaze watched from the locked entrance to the arena, each of them hoping that Hiccup's plan would work.

The Nightmare growled warningly. "It's okay," Hiccup said, "Its okay." The Nightmare still seemed unsure. It looked up at the helmet on Hiccup's head. Taking a deep breath, Hiccup reached up, and took off his helmet. "I'm not one of them," he said, throwing the helmet away. The Nightmare glanced at the helmet, and then back at Hiccup. It's pupils widened a bit, and it seemed to understand that Hiccup wasn't a threat. "_It's okay,_" Salamence told its friend, "_He's our friend. They're all our friends. We can trust them._" The Nightmare nodded, and looked at Hiccup peacefully.

"Stop the fight," ordered Stoick, eyes like stone. He had seen enough. "No!" Hiccup told him in a surprisingly fierce voice. "I need you all to see this!" He advanced on the dragon, holding out his hand. "They're not what we think they are," he said with complete confidence. "We don't have to kill them." The Nightmare then moved his head forward, so that Hiccup's hand rested on its snout. All of the Vikings gasped at what was taking place.

"I said STOP THE FIGHT!" roared Stoick, furiously pounding his hammer on the metal bars ringing the arena.

The series of loud clangs startled the Nightmare, its pupils thinning. It roared, and Hiccup backed away from it. Salamence was temporarily dazed by the clanging noises, but it regained its focus and flew onto its partner's back, trying to calm it down. But the Nightmare refused to listen. It had been angered by the noise. It attacked. Hiccup ran screaming, his friends trying to hold the Nightmare back.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted. But he barely heard her. She turned to some of the weapons hanging on the wall and grabbed an axe. Using the blade, she pried open the gateway into the arena, and she and Blaze squeezed themselves under it.

Hiccup desperately tried to dodge the attacks of the angry Nightmare, his friends and the Salamence doing what they could to hold it back. Astrid ran over to the collapsed weapon rack and grabbed a hammer, throwing it at the Nightmare and hitting it in the snout. The Nightmare turned its attention to her and charged. But Blaze charged faster, hitting the Nightmare back with a combination of Peck and Quick Attack. She lunged forward with a burst of speed, and pecked the Nightmare with her beak. The dragon backed down.

Then the dragon was shocked by a bolt of electricity. It turned to see Tito using Thundershock, trying to get it to leave their friends alone. But Astrid threw a sharp piece of wood at the dragon and got its attention back on her. The dragons charged, and this time, Blaze was knocked away.

Hiccup noticed the danger his friend was in. "No!" he shouted, trying to get the dragon's attention, "Leave her alone!"

The arena gate was heaved open by Stoick and Beartic. Stoick motioned to them and shouted, "This way!" The group of friends ran for him, desperate and hoping to get out of the arena alive as Salamence kept trying to calm its partner.

Stoick grabbed Astrid and Blaze, throwing them aside where they would be safe. He held out his hand to Hiccup, but the Monstrous Nightmare shot its sticky fire at them. The flame splatted against the post next to the gateway, throwing Hiccup off balance. Not even a second later, the enraged dragon was on top of him, pinning him to the ground with its claw. Snivels and the others tried desperately to save their friend.

Just then, two high pitched shrieks filled the air as Toothless and Verne appeared out of nowhere. Toothless shot a blast of fire at the bars surrounding the arena. The metal bars burst apart, and the two dragons flew into the arena. The blast had covered the arena in a layer of smoke, and everyone outside the arena tried to see what was going on.

The Nightmare lifted away from Hiccup, and emerged from the smoke to reveal Toothless on its back, clawing wildly. "Night Fury!" Gobber shouted from above the arena. Toothless and the Nightmare continued to battle, Toothless soon being pinned to the ground, but he was able to deflect the larger dragon's attacks. The Nightmare was knocked backwards, and Toothless got up, growling and snapping at it. The Nightmare stared at Toothless, and Salamence seized the opportunity to talk to its partner. This time, the Nightmare did listen, and it finally calmed down.

Knowing the fight was over, Hiccup ran up to his dragon friend. "Toothless, go, get out of here!" But Toothless didn't go. Vikings and their Pokémon came into the arena, wanting to battle with the new dragon. Hiccup began pushing Toothless more urgently. "Go! Go!"

Stoick grabbed a hammer off of the wall of the gateway, and ran into the arena, with Beartic following. Hiccup noticed them approaching. "Dad, no! He won't hurt you!" Toothless then began knocking away the Vikings and Pokémon that attempted to restrain him. Stoick and Beartic came closer, until something came flying out of nowhere and knocked down the chief. The other Vikings gasped as they all stared at Stoick's attacker. It wasn't Toothless. And it wasn't Verne either.

It was Snivels.

Stoick looked up at the young Snivy. "YOU?!" Snivels glared down at the chief. "Yes," he said, his voice full of hatred and revenge. He jumped down onto the floor of the arena, pacing around, and looking at all of the Vikings, whose attention was all on him. "This is something you all should hear," he said in a very un-Snivels-like voice, "You all treat every little thing that's different from what you're used to like it's a piece of dirt! You pretend it doesn't exist, and you focus on what you obsess about your whole lives. But what do you all really care about? NOTHING! You don't care about anything but yourselves! You don't even care about your Pokémon! All you Vikings ever care about is winning battles. Against what? Innocent creatures that are trying to survive in a world of tyranny. I cannot believe how _selfish_ you all are!"

All of the Vikings and Pokémon were speechless. They had never been so offended in all their lives!

Hiccup was confused. "What is it that you have against Vikings anyway?" he asked. Snivels turned to look at his friend, his expression softening. "The question you should be asking is what happened to my family," he said. He lowered his head and spoke in a sorrowful voice. "I'm the last of my family. And no one's bothered to ask how that is. Since none of you asked, I'll tell you." He turned to look at Stoick, who had gotten up and was now glaring at the young Snivy. Snivels glared back at the chief and yelled, "They were killed by YOUR KIND!"

He turned to the rest of the village. "I was born in a royal family," he said, "A family that watched over all who lived on a peaceful island, including Blaze and her family."

As Snivels told his story, the events seemed to play in Hiccup's head. He swore he could see a young Snivy and a Torchic playing together.

"But it all changed," Snivels continued, "Vikings. Vikings poaching for rare and valuable Pokémon, all for the heck of it! Me and Blaze's families were the prime victims. Blaze got separated from her family, and she joined me and my family in our getaway. I lost all of my siblings, and we retreated into the forest. But the Vikings set it on fire. We were trapped, and my father was injured badly."

A vision of two Serperior, a Snivy, and a Torchic appeared, one of the Serperior badly burned. "Svenan..." the other one said, her voice full of fear and sorrow. "Go, Salene," Svenan said, "Take our son and the Torchic. I will hold them off as best I can." Salene nodded, and slithered away with her son in her arms, and the Torchic following.

"Those were the last words that I ever heard my father say," Snivels said.

A scream sounded out, and Salene turned back to see her husband's lifeless body fall to the ground. "SVENAN!" But Svenan could not hear her. He was gone. Dead.

"We escaped the island on a friendly Lapras," Snivels continued, "And we made our home on another. The island had a small Viking village, and we soon learned that these Vikings were no threat to us. Blaze was soon discovered and taken to the trading post so she could be sent off to a trainer that could take care of her. And you should all know who that trainer was." That was how Blaze ended up being Astrid's partner.

Snivels continued the story. "It wasn't long, though, until the poaching Vikings found me. They trapped me, and there was nowhere for me to run."

The young Snivy was pressed up against a rock, the dark shadow of a large Viking blocking his way of escape. "Now, hold still and let yourself be captured," the Viking said with a sneer, "A young royal Snivy should sell for a high price." Just then, Salene came out of nowhere and knocked the Viking away. She turned to face her son. "Run!" she said, "Go now! Run!" The Snivy ran, and he didn't dare to look back.

Salene turned back to the Viking, who had stood up. The Viking drew out his sword, and advanced on Salene. "You'll pay for that," he said. Salene stayed where she was, showing no hints of fear. "My name was earned, after all," the Viking said as he raised his sword, which glinted in the sunlight.

The young Snivy kept running. He ran and ran and ran, until...

A piercing, painful scream split the air.

The Snivy stopped and looked back toward where his mother had stayed to hold off the Viking. "Mother?" But there was no answer.

Snivels then continued his story. "My mother had given her life in order to save mine."

Salene was dead. Gone forever.

Just then, a shadow enveloped the orphaned Snivy. He looked up. A Viking, about 9 or 10 years old, was standing over him. He tensed up as the Viking knelt down and reached out toward him. When the child's hands rested on the Snivy's shoulders, the orphan relaxed. The Viking's touch was soft and gentle, unlike the looming hands that had tried to grab him earlier. The Snivy didn't resist the Viking's attempts to lift him up and hug him. Grabbing onto the Viking's tunic, the Snivy's eyes filled with tears as he cried softly to himself. "It's okay," the Viking said. The Snivy could tell from its voice that it was a girl. The Viking stood up, holding the Snivy in her arms. "Let's go home," she said as she turned and walked toward the nearby village.

Hiccup found himself brought back to reality, the vision of the girl and the Snivy fading away.

"I met my first trainer that day," Snivels said, "And for a while, I thought that I could trust her. But she abandoned me. I went to the trading post many times to get a new trainer, but I had lost my battling spirit. I couldn't bring myself to win a battle. I eventually ran away, and I ended up here on Berk. I went into the forest and met a pack of Speed Stingers. I told them my story, and they brought me up and raised me. I learned a lot from them. I got faster, stealthier, and more accurate. I also learned how to understand and speak to dragons. And as I spent more time near the village, I began to teach myself how to speak human. I wanted someone to talk to, to understand how I felt about certain things, and to be there for me when I needed help. And after three years of living with the Speed Stingers, I met him."

Snivels paused, and turned to look at Hiccup, who understood what Snivels meant.

The Vikings and Pokémon all listened as Snivels concluded his story. Now they knew why Snivels didn't trust anyone other than Hiccup and Astrid.

Suddenly, a Viking lunged forward and grabbed Verne by his scrawny neck. Verne shrieked. Snivels's eyes widened. "Leave him alone! Don't hurt him!" Verne stared at his friend, his eyes filled with tears. He didn't want Snivels to get hurt. But a giant Rhyperior was standing on Snivels's tail, preventing him from coming any closer. "VERNE!" he shouted. Verne wailed, tears spilling from his eyes. Just then, a blue glow enveloped the Noibat. The Vikings gasped. "What's with the glow?"

The Viking holding Verne was thrown backward, as Verne's shape began to change. He got bigger, his wings becoming larger and more powerful. A long tail and long legs with sharp claws grew out, and his head altered, becoming more menacing and merciless. The light then faded. Verne the Noibat was gone. In his place was a large black, purple, red, and white Pokémon with huge wings, and sound-making ears.

A Noivern.

Hiccup and Snivels couldn't believe what they saw. "Verne just evolved!" Snivels exclaimed. Verne shrieked, spreading his wings, and with one powerful flap, took to the sky. He opened his mouth, and a blue ball of energy appeared, and he fired it at the Vikings. A Dragon Pulse. The Vikings barely avoided it. Verne then charged up, and emitted a powerful blast from his large ears. A Boomburst. Again, the Vikings barely dodged. Beartic then fired an Ice Beam at Verne, who dodged it. Realizing that he couldn't win the battle alone, Verne exited the arena, and perched up on the side of a mountain, looking down at them. Snivels and Hiccup were the only ones who understood why Verne had left the arena.

With Hiccup and the others distracted, the Vikings all ganged up on Toothless, who surprisingly didn't fight back. The Vikings held the Night Fury down, his head on the floor of the arena, so he couldn't breathe fire. Hiccup tried to help Toothless, but Astrid held him back. She didn't want him to get hurt. "No, please...don't hurt him," Hiccup pleaded, but no one was listening.

Stoick, who looked ready to burst with anger, handed his hammer to a nearby Viking. "Put it with the others," he said.

Snivels glared at Stoick, his hate for the chief growing ever so greater.

* * *

**Looks like Snivels finally snapped. And Verne is now the first of Hiccup's Pokémon to have evolved. I'm sorry if the evolution for Verne was too early, but I wanted him to evolve before the final battle. And if you read this, Cottonmouth25, I want you to know that I sent you a PM that I have been waiting for you to answer. Also, it would help me if you had a review to leave for this chapter. The rest of you can also review as well, and stay tuned for the next update. Also, I bet you can guess who was the Viking who killed Snivels's family.**


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